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 […]
Employment
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 […]
Border exceptions the first step in the process
Federated Farmers is pleased to see the Government has approved border class exceptions for a number of international agricultural workers for early 2022. The border exceptions will allow approved workers to assist with the shearing and arable sectors over their peak busy period. The Government has also made some changes to the current dairy worker […]
East Coast Expo panel will focus on youth in farming
The world is the oyster of those who choose to be part of an industry that contributes to the most important thing in the world – sustainably produced food. Lincoln University Adjunct Professor Dr Jacqueline Rowarth, Growing Future Farmers general manager Cyn Smith and Napier Boys’ High School head of agriculture Rex Newman all say […]
Economic Week – 19 November
by Nick Clark, Federated Farmers Manager General Policy Dairy prices up again The Global Dairy Trade posted another gain at this week’s auction, rising 1.9%. All the commodities on offer posted price increases. Whole milk powder was up 1.9%, skim milk powder up 1.4%, anhydrous milk fat up 1.3%, butter up 3.5%, cheddar up 2.2%, […]
Crunch is coming for agricultural contractors
Federated Farmers’ concerns about the serious shortage of experienced agricultural machinery operators is proving justified as summer approaches. A shortage of experienced operators is being felt across rural New Zealand, and the pressure is building on both farmers and rural contractors, Feds immigration and employment spokesperson Chris Lewis says. “Unfortunately, we all saw this coming […]
Economic Week – November 12
by Nick Clark, Federated Farmers Manager General Policy Food prices drop Food prices fell in October, the first monthly drop since February, according to Statistics NZ’s monthly Food Price Index. On a monthly basis, comparing October 2021 with September 2021, food prices fell 0.9% (and by 0.1% when seasonally adjusted), with: Fruit and vegetable prices […]
Economic Week – November 5
Commodity prices set new record. Commodity prices hit new a record high in October, according to ANZ World Commodity Price Index. The World Price Index lifted 2.1% in October compared to September. Dairy prices jumped 3.7%, mainly on the back of tight global milk supply with demand steady. Meat and fibre prices were up 1.6%, […]
Investment to sharpen competitiveness of medicinal cannabis industry
The Government is backing an innovative research and development programme to help accelerate the establishment of New Zealand’s medicinal cannabis industry and boost export potential. The Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund (SFF Futures) is contributing nearly $760,000 to the $1.9 million, three-year programme led by project partner Greenlab, which aims to establish evidence-based medical […]