By William Beetham, Federated Farmers Meat & Wool Chairperson Federated Farmers is calling on the government to live up to its pledge and review the Overseas Investment Act ‘special forestry test’ and be fair to sheep and beef farmers We understand that Forestry Minister Stuart Nash and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor have been lobbying for […]
People
Greeting the summer visitors
Contributed by: New Zealand Walking Access Commission Summer can be a busy time for farm managers. Among the pressures they face are more people who may want permission to cross their land. Many families and tourists head into the outdoors over the holidays. So farmers and landholders have more people walking and cycling in their […]
NAIT levy increases must achieve accurate, user-friendly system
Nobody welcomes extra costs but if OSPRI is to catch-up on under investment in the NAIT platform and deliver on its workability and farmer support, levy increases are probably necessary, Federated Farmers says. OSPRI is consulting on proposals to increase the NAIT tag levy from 90 cents to $1.35 and the slaughter levy from 50 […]
Free lunchtime chats to boost farmer resilience
Three of New Zealand’s foremost motivational speakers on resilience and mental wellbeing will offer tips for farmers and growers in a series of free online lunchtime talks. Isolation and the sometimes stressful nature of agriculture, with severe weather and volatile trading conditions out of their control, puts pressure on rural families. “The added restrictions, health […]
Stretched rural contractors taken past breaking point
Stressed rural contractors, told in mid-December they could bring in 200 more skilled machinery operators, have not yet seen a single arrival given any MIQ space. Rural Contractors NZ CEO Andrew Olsen says despite the best efforts of MPI staff to help find MIQ beds for the approved operators, the indications now are that few, […]
Report trumpets scope for ice cream exports
Latest research into our premium ice cream industry suggests exporters could find new buyers in valuable overseas markets as consumers increasingly look for tip top quality in food. Economic Development Minister Stuart Nash has released a new report for the Food and Beverage Information Project. The project is run by government agencies MBIE, MPI and […]
Young Farmer series: Follow your dreams
In the second of our Young Farmer series, we chatted with Josh Wilkinson, dairy farmer and vice chair of the Dannevirke Young Farmers club. Josh started his dairy farming career in 2019 after finishing his Agricultural Science degree at Massey University. He grew up in town and now he works on a 160ha dairy farm […]
Feds survey shows slight uptick in farmer-bank relationship
Farmers are feeling slightly more satisfied with the relationships with their banks but interest rates are starting to rise and some are reporting a tougher attitude from lenders. Results from the November Federated Farmers Banking Survey show 67 percent of the more than 900 respondents are satisfied with their bank relationship, up 5.5 points on […]
Liability claims from neighbours a big chunk of costs when burn-offs go wrong
Nearly 200 claims and $6 million paid out, including one claim that totalled $761,000. That was the toll from rural fires in New Zealand 2016-2020 for FMG. Bear in mind that FMG has around 52 percent of the rural market, and also, as the company’s head of client strategy and advice services Stephen Cantwell pointed […]
Subaru Outback wins AA/Driven’s NZ Safest Car of the Year
Subaru’s Outback has received the AA/Driven New Zealand Car of the Year 2021 Safest Car award today. The sixth generation of Subaru’s much-loved SUV – known as the GOOAT – becomes not only the greatest, but also now the safest, Outback Of All Time. Subaru NZ is a strategic partner of Federated Farmers of New […]