The latest Red Meat Report shows red meat exports have held up strongly in the face of significant disruptions. Beef + Lamb New Zealand and the Meat Industry Association have released their May 2021 Red Meat Report. In the report both B+LNZ chief executive Sam McIvor and Sirma Karapeeva, the MIA’s chief executive, reflect on […]
National
2021 Peter Snow Memorial Award goes to Kerikeri GP
Kerikeri GP Dr Grahame Jelley is the 2021 recipient of the Peter Snow Memorial Award. The award was announced at the National Rural Health Conference at Wairakei Resort in Taupō on Friday. The Peter Snow Memorial Award honours Dr Peter Snow and his contribution to rural communities as well as recognising an individual for their […]
Feds keen to engage in immigration review
Federated Farmers is pleased that the Productivity Commission has decided to hold an inquiry into our current immigration settings and looks forward to engaging in the process. The primary industries have traditionally looked to the migrant workforce to fill a range of roles where sufficient numbers of Kiwis are not available. “The closure of the […]
Extra guidance for farm foresters a good move
From the Forest Owners Association The Forest Owners Association says the just announced creation of Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service heralds the potential to fix vital bottlenecks in the initial stages of the forest industry supply chain and drive further timber processing downstream as well. The Association says the Minister of Forests, […]
Thank a farmer this opening weekend
Federated Farmers wants duck hunters heading out for the season opening this weekend to enjoy themselves and to remember to thank the many farmers who provide access to their shooting spots. The ‘Opening Day’ of the duck-shooting season is a special event in rural New Zealand, with 40,000 annual participants getting ready to head out […]
Rural Health Conference gives platform for restructure impact on rural Kiwis
This week approximately 400 rural health professionals and administrators will come together at Wairakei Resort in Taupō for this year’s National Rural Health Conference. This conference is the first ‘in person’ health professionals conference in 2021 and the biggest event for rural health professionals for close to two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Minister […]
Farming myth buster: Livestock numbers and emissions
by Gavin Forrest, Federated Farmers GM Policy & Advocacy From time to time , and far too often, alternative facts gain traction that are both inaccurate and unhelpful to the farming sector. One such myth is that the claim that the recent Climate Change Report called for a 15% drop in livestock numbers. This is […]
Rural communities left out in health reform announcement
The New Zealand Rural General Practice Network is disappointed at the lack of specific reference to the needs of rural communities in the health sector reform announcements by the the Minister of Health yesterday. The changes focus on improved primary and community healthcare and a simplified national structure to ensure fairer access to healthcare for […]
2021 Future Farmers intake grows to 60
by Sue Meade, HR Manager, Growing Future Farmers When most people win awards they sit back and enjoy a job well done . . . when Federated Farmers members Tam and Dan Jex-Blake won a training award in 2016, they realised there was so much more they could do to help the agricultural sector. True […]
Huge solar farm leaves room for livestock
The term ‘solar farm’ may be about to take on a new meaning in New Zealand, with a proposal to fill 20.5 hectares of farmland with panels, and continue livestock grazing and arable growing underneath. Lodestone Energy Ltd (LEL) has applied to the Far North District Council and Northland Regional Council to establish a 39.4 […]