ATS Newsbrief March 2014
Recent media attention placing grapes at the top of the new ‘Dirty Dozen’ has propelled the use of agri-chemicals in to the spotlight once again.
Neal Shaw, Group CEO
Released by the Safe Food Campaign several years ago, the ‘Dirty Dozen’ referred to a list of New Zealand grown foods that have been shown in surveys to be more likely to be contaminated with pesticide residues. It included foods such as celery, wheat products, tomatoes, kiwi fruit, apples, cucumber, peaches, strawberries, oranges, lettuce, pears and potatoes.
Last month grapes were added, with the Safe Food Campaign’s Alison White pointing to new research that indicated grapes analysed from supermarkets showed 35 different pesticides in the total number of samples with 98.2% containing residue. For consumers, the difficulty is what to believe.
Upcoming Events
18 March, 22 April and 20 May Farm Safety Manual and Training for Members For more information or to RSVP, call 0800 BUY ATS (289 287) or go to www.ats.co.nz/ farmsafety
Upcoming Industry Events
Milksmart: The Next Generation 11 March Ashburton 13 March Oamaru These events have sessions including Smart Water Use, Managing Mastitis, Plant Optimisation, Stockmanship and more. For more information, contact Catherine Ibell at catherine.ibell@dairynz.co.nz.
Yes, some foods will contain pesticide residues, but not at harmful levels, meaning conventionally grown foods are still safe to eat. Crop protection products are heavily regulated, with constant testing. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) examines the impact on humans and the environment, while the Ministry for Primary Industry (MPI) regulates the residues in food. Products are only approved for use only if they pose no greater risk to consumers than food grown without their use.
8 March
There are two standards that relate to residues in our food – the Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) and the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI). The MRL is the highest concentration of residue allowed in food crops or animal products at harvest or sale and is legally enforceable. They are not safety limits but are set well below levels which are known to produce any adverse health effects.
Ballance Farm Environment Awards: Canterbury
The ADI is set using an internationally-agreed procedure to estimate how much of a compound can be consumed without having a toxic effect on the body. Extensive tests are carried out on humans and animals to determine the ‘no observed adverse effect level’ (NOAEL). The difference between animal and human studies, and between the most sensitive and least sensitive individual, is taken into account by dividing the NOAEL by a safety factor of at least 100.The final figure is the estimated acceptable daily intake for humans based on how many milligrams of a chemical you can safely consume per kilo of your bodyweight every day from birth to death. MPI estimates that globally, even with modern agricultural chemicals, pests account for pre-harvest losses of more than 40% of the potential value of output (15% insects and 13% each to weeds and pathogens), plus an additional 10% of the potential value is lost post-harvest. Whether you support agricultural chemical use, organic farming or something in between, at the end of the day, consumers want to have accurate information based on science, not emotion or media hype.
Mayfield A&P Show
15 March Methven A&P Show
20 March These flagship awards find and celebrate role models, who show how an environmentally sensitive approach can be part of a profitable farm business and can inspire and motivate others by example. The focus is on practical solutions that support farm business goals, as well caring for the environment. Entrants seek to have a ruler run over their enterprise to provide a personal benchmark, and to share their ideas and expertise with the wider farming community. For more info, please email Jocelyn Muller, Canterbury BFEA co‑ordinator or call her on 027 549 7724.
50 CELEBRATING
YEARS
Is your Approved Handler Certificate valid? Your Approved Handler Certificate may be expired or about to expire. Please contact Peter Jacob on 03 307 5124 or 0800 BUY ATS (289 287) and he will be able to help you with the renewal process.
Get Saving with Ruralco today The Ruralco Card is a charge card for real farmers offering great discounts for all your farming and family needs. Not only do you receive 9¢* per litre off the pump price of fuel at any Mobil Service Stations nationwide, but with the Ruralco Card you have access to an ever increasing network of local and national suppliers offering real deals and discounts to keep your costs down. If you would like to cancel your cards, or order more cards for your account, please contact ATS on 0800 BUY ATS (289 287).
Farm Safety Manual and Training for Members Today’s farmers and land owners are required to actively manage all aspects of health and safety around the farm. To assist with this process ATS plans to provide members with access to a farm safety manual and relevant training. Upon completion of training, members will be able to apply for a discount on their ACC levies. Training dates are the 18 March, 22 April and 20 May 2014 at a cost of $550 (GST and member discount inclusive). Seating is limited, so get in fast. For more information or to reserve your place, please contact Peter Jacob on 03 307 5124 or 0800 BUY ATS (289 287), email book@ ats.co.nz or reserve your spot online at www.ats.co.nz/farmsafety
Credit card payment option Don’t forget you can now pay your ATS account by credit card through BNZ. This convenient payment option can create up to 55 days credit depending on when purchases are made during the month. Surcharges for this service apply (1% for regular recurring payments set up between ATS and BNZ and 1.75% for payments made on an ad hoc basis). All surcharges will be charged by ATS to your credit card at the time payments are processed and will appear on your ATS statement. The surcharge shown on your statement will be offset by the credit card payment you have already made. For more information, call the Customer Service team on 0800 BUY ATS (289 287). The terms and conditions are available from the ATS website www.ats.co.nz/ About+Us/Services/Payment+Options
ATS Seed have you sorted for autumn ATS Seed have a full range of pasture and brassica seed, and seed treatment options available for your autumn sowing requirements. We have all the newlyreleased ryegrass varieties in stock along with the established cultivars that are proven on farm. It’s still not too late to sow a rape crop for early-mid winter feed with varieties suitable like Goliath, Spitfire and Greenland. For more information, call ATS Seed on 0800 BUY ATS (289 287).
The ATS calendar ATS produced a special 50th Anniversary calendar for 2013 to celebrate the cooperative’s 50th year. This was a onetime production; however we have received a lot of feedback from members wanting the ATS calendar to be annual. ATS is therefore looking into creating a calendar for the year 2015. If you capture a beautiful agriculture photograph throughout the year which you would like to be considered for the 2015 ATS calendar, please send your high resolution photo to marketing@ats.co.nz or for assistance please contact us on 0800 BUY ATS (289 287).
Are your cards up to date? If you need to cancel your Ruralco Card, Mobilcard, Z, Caltex or BP Fuel cards please call us. Simply cutting the card up means it can’t be used, but it will still be active in our system and a replacement will be generated when it expires. For more information, call 0800 BUY ATS (289 287). If you need extra cards for your account, please contact ATS on 0800 BUY ATS (289 287).
Ashburton Trading Society Ltd 97 Burnett Street, PO Box 131 Ashburton
Budget Car Rentals Please remember to quote booking number ZZ741V as well as your Ruralco number when booking with Budget car Rentals to ensure your Ruralco discount is loaded. For more information, go to www. ruralco.co.nz/budget
Tel 03 307 5100 Fax 03 307 6723 ats@ats.co.nz
Ruralco Supplier updates Check out www.ruralco.co.nz for the list of new Ruralco Suppliers
New Suppliers Please visit www.ruralco.co.nz for information on locations and contact details.
National Classic Clothing and CC Collections Tel 0800 256 844 7% off clothing and accessories Copthorne Hotels and Resorts* 0800 STAY MCK (782 962) Kingsgate Hotels and Resorts* 0800 STAY MCK (782 962) Millennium Hotels and Resorts* 0800 STAY MCK (782 962) *Doesn’t include franchise locations.
Geraldine Bull Rush Chocolate Tel 03 307 2508 5% discount
Gore Dairy First Ltd Tel 0508 324 791 5% off consumables 2.5% off capital plant items Rockleigh Jewellers Tel 03 208 9260 7% off retail items Repairs and engraving nett Quins Gore Pharmacy Tel 03 208 7359 10% off all items excluding prescriptions
Greymouth Colls Sports World Tel 03 768 4060 2.5% off retail items Sale items net Into Jeans Tel 03 768 4118 5% off clothing
Invercargill Awarua Synergy Tel 03 214 2927 7% on all solar PV systems 6kw or higher E Hayes & Sons Ltd Tel 03 218 2059 10% discount, sale items nett EZY Kitchens and Appliances Tel 03 218 1060 15% off appliances 5% off quoted jobs Lustys Showcase Jeweller Tel 03 214 4272 10% off all retail items, repairs nett PetSmart.NZ Tel 03 214 3455 10% on pet accessories 5% off pet food Plaza Supervalue Tel 03 218 2205 No discount
Top Gear Audio and Installation Tel 03 214 4447 10% off all items TVs and Bluray nett UFS Amcal Dispensary Tel 03 218 9393 10% off health, beauty and retail items Waikiwi Pharmacy (2005) Ltd Tel 03 208 7359 10% off all retail items Prescriptions net 100% Selectrix Invercargill Tel 03 218 9169 10% off all retail items
Kaikoura Kaikoura Gateway Motor Lodge Tel 03 319 6070 10% off set rates Taylor Plumbing Kaikoura Ltd Tel 03 319 7499 10% off hourly rate
New Plymouth Browning and Matthews Tel 06 759 4126 15% off all eyeware, lenses and contacts 50% off any second pair purchase
Paraparaumu Grylls Keleher and Matthews Tel 04 298 4426 15% off all eyeware, lenses and contacts 50% off any second pair purchase
Timaru Timaru ITM Tel 03 688 8074 Discounts range between 33% & 50%
Wellington Stevenson Sangster and Matthews Tel 04 472 4010 15% off all eyeware, lenses and contacts 50% off any second pair purchase
Winton Impress Clothing and Accessories Tel 03 236 1206 7.5% off clothing and accessories Merv N Milly Tel 03 236 8060 7% off all clothing
Resigned Suppliers Bells Auto Electrical Camelot Motor Lodge
www.ats.co.nz