The government’s immediate injection of $4 million to help farmers, growers, whenua Māori owners and rural communities mobilise and co-ordinate cyclone recovery efforts is pleasing, Federated Farmers President Andrew Hoggard says. “Even more significant is acknowledgement that the breadth of Cyclone Gabrielle’s destruction is unprecedented and that this funding is only an initial response. “The […]
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Tough economy not the time for more red tape
Farmer confidence in general economic conditions has hit a record low, according to a Federated Farmers January survey. Of just over 1,100 responses from farm businesses around the country, a net 65.2 percent considered current economic conditions to be bad. That’s 17.4 points worse than the survey in July last year and the lowest level […]
Feds thanks Tim Mackle for huge contribution to dairy industry
Federated Farmers acknowledges the huge contribution Tim Mackle has made to the dairy sector, and thus to the New Zealand economy. Tim, DairyNZ’s chief executive since 2007 and chief executive of its predecessor Dexcel since 2005, has announced he will step down from the role in June. “Tim led DairyNZ through a period of immense […]
RMA dog set to be an even bigger monster under Government reform
The Natural and Built Environment Bill and Spatial Planning Bill will make resource management issues worse and should be withdrawn, Federated Farmers has told the Environment Select Committee. “Farmers agree the costly, slow and unpredictable processes under the RMA need fixing, but in getting rid of the old dog the government risks replacing it with […]
FEDSVoice: All your rural listening in one place
Listen in for all the latest farming news and views – and voice your own thoughts. That’s what’s on offer from the newly-updated Federated Farmers mobile phone app and website FEDSVoice. The app enables farmers and growers to tap into audio recordings and podcasts from Federated Farmers, feeds from top country radio shows from around […]
NZ’s global reputation for agricultural excellence undermined by daft domestic policy
By Macaulay Jones, Senior Policy Advisor Climate Change, Trade, Forestry, Science & Innovation It’s hard to promote New Zealand’s championing of removal of the tariffs and other barriers that plague the international free trade of food products when our nation pursues other policies that bewilder, if not seriously irk, the world’s farmers. Let me explain…. […]
Feds’ request to Hipkins: slow down, prioritise
Slow down the legislative programme, get it right and concentrate on those things that will help families and businesses prosper. That’s the request from Federated Farmers to Chris Hipkins as he is sworn in as New Zealand’s 41st Prime Minister today, and then gets to work on the policy “re-set” he has talked about. “Farmers […]
Early detection and spraying best way to cut ranks of fall armyworm
The march of fall armyworm detections as far south as Hokitika has dismayed arable and vegetable growers. Early detection, spraying at the right time and reporting remain the best weapons in the arsenal to combat this invader. Farmers and growers in the upper North Island began reporting larvae finds in September/October last year. The number […]
PINZ throws the spotlight on food and fibre innovators
The hunt is on for the latest crop of innovators who have helped move New Zealand’s reputation for producing high quality foods and fibres to even greater heights. The fifth annual Primary Industries New Zealand Awards will be held in Wellington on July 3, a highlight of the two-day PINZ Summit. “The hard graft and […]
B+LNZ demands pause on biodiversity proposals and a review into impact of environmental rules on primary sector
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is calling for the Government to shelve plans to finalise decisions around the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity and demanding an urgent review of the cumulative financial and social impacts of the Government’s environmental agenda on farmers and rural communities. B+LNZ chief executive Sam McIvor says farmers are […]