38 minute read
Dairy sours on ‘false’ defence of EU deal
Nigel Stirling nigel.g.stirling@gmail.com
DAIRY exporters are keeping up their barrage of criticism against what they say is the Government’s failure to own up to poor dairy market access from the recent trade deal with the European Union.
The Dairy Companies Association has already rubbished the Government’s claims of $600 million in annual gains for the industry from last month’s agreement, saying gains won’t even come close to that figure.
It also accused Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of gifting an advantage to EU negotiators by letting slip a weakening in New Zealand’s negotiating bottom lines for meat and dairy in the final few weeks of the talks.
Now DCANZ has unleashed its ire on Trade Minister Damien O’Connor for what it says is his repetition of false claims by European farming unions about NZ’s dairy market access.
Writing in a recent Farmers Weekly Pulpit column, O’Connor quoted EU farming union Copa and Cogeca, which said NZ dairy exporters already had access to quotas for 75,000 tonnes of annual butter exports to the EU and 11,000t for cheese.
The free trade agreement would add 25,000t of butter and 15,000t of cheese to those totals.
“They have said the deal has painful compromises for [EU] farmers,” O’Connor wrote.
However, DCANZ chair Malcolm Bailey said the pre-FTA quotas quoted by Copa and Cogeca and referenced by O’Connor were dated, and overstated the actual access NZ exporters had to the European dairy market before the FTA .
The pre-FTA quotas, he said, were 47,000t of butter and 6,000t of cheese.
Both quotas had been slashed as a result of Britain’s exit from the EU two years ago, and have not been restored by the EU despite objections by NZ to the World Trade Organisation.
DCANZ executive director Kimberly Crewther said it was disappointing to see O’Connor repeating such obvious falsehoods from European agricultural protectionists.
“The EU industry is using incorrect numbers, possibly because it is politically convenient to do so,” she said.
“They are as aware of the postBrexit cuts to quota volumes as we are.”
DCANZ’s Bailey said O’Connor repeating Copa and Cogeca’s false figures made the FTA with the EU look better than it actually was.
“There certainly seems to have been an element of spin when explaining the outcome of the deal to the wider public of NZ and that is disappointing.
“Dealing in fact is far better than going as far as what appears to be spinning the numbers to make them look more than what they are.”
In a short statement O’Connor responded by saying the article’s purpose was to point out how farming groups in the EU viewed the deal.
“There are different views as to the impacts of the trade deal,” said O’Connor.
“My view is we focus on these new opportunities.
“The trade deal offers improved conditions to a market that’s effectively been blocked for our dairy exporters in particular.”
Bailey said he did not accept O’Connor’s defence for publishing the Copa and Cogeca figures.
“I don’t buy into that argument at all. The deal is a lousy deal absolutely for dairy.
“The highly protectionist attitude of a few people in Europe doesn’t cover up what is a lousy deal.”
DCANZ has rubbished the Government’s claims the new quota will lead to an eventual $600m annual gain for the NZ dairy industry.
It says high in-quota tariffs mean they will not be viable for exporters to use most of the time.
“The new butter quota doesn’t even get us back to what we had 20 years ago when the EU butter market was 20% smaller,” Crewther said.
Malcolm Bailey Dairy Companies Association
FALSEHOODS: DCANZ executive director Kimberly Crewther says it was disappointing to see Trade Minister Damien O’Connor repeat the obvious falsehoods peddled by EU farming lobbyists.
Otago farmers pass aerial inspection with flying colours
OTAGO Regional Council staff are pleased with the intensive winter grazing practices by farmers that they saw during three aerial inspections during May and June.
While 12% of farms had issues and will be subject to an inspection by council staff, the council’s principal compliance specialist, Mike Cummings, said there were plenty of excellent examples of intensive winter grazing along with some potential issues.
These included issues such as crops being planted in critical source areas where there is a risk of sediment flowing into waterways, and some buffer zones near waterways that were narrower than desirable.
“It was obvious from the flyover the majority of farmers were making a targeted effort to develop protections around the at-risk areas on their properties,” Cummings said.
He said from 2023 resource consent will be required to graze critical source areas such as gullies and swale, and land steeper than 10 degrees.
Margins alongside wetlands, streams, lakes or drains need to be at least 5m without a resource consent.
A further 12% of those inspected do not need any follow up and 66% will receive a “catchment response”. This means that industry, catchments groups or ORC catchment advisors will have an opportunity to work with groups of farmers on education targeting the risks in their catchments.
The council plans to make two more flights, one later this month and a final one in August, provided the weather allows.
POLARIS - LIMITED EDITION
570 RIDE COMMAND
KG 612
XP 1000 BIG GAME EDITION
KG 1,134
10 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 1, 2022
News Formula supply farms seek more capital
Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz
EQUITY investors are being sought for a family-owned dairy farming corporate in the Clutha valley district of South Otago, where 65% of the milk goes to Danone Nutricia for processing into infant formula base powder.
The Argyll Group of three farms and a support block with over 2000 cows in milk is seeking wholesale investors for $5 million or more, with a minimum contribution of $750,000 per investor.
The properties and the plant are about 25km up the Clutha River from Balclutha.
The farms are close to Danone’s plant but the largest, called McCallbrae’s Dairy with 376ha and 760 cows at peak, supplies Fonterra.
Total annual milk production is over 900,000 kg milksolids and last season Danone took nearly 600,000 from Argyll Dairy and Riverview Dairy on the southern river terraces to the west of Cluthavale.
The Allangrange run-off of 321ha is on the north bank of the Clutha and on Tuapeka Mouth Rd.
Argyll Group has 12 shareholder groups who are mainly family members of the original owners of the three farms.
They have been working together for 20 years and an opportunity has come up to buy about 20% of the existing shares.
The offer is not open to anyone who would require Overseas Investment Office approval.
If the offer is oversubscribed, Argyll may seek further farm development or purchase options.
A cornerstone shareholding is Craigmore Farming with 25% but it is not Craigmore that wants out.
Argyll has benefits from scale when covering overheads and compliance, feed growing, winter grazing and heifer grazing, and buying power with key suppliers and attracting talent.
The group has a very experienced operations manager, Glenn McCallum, and the board of seven directors has a representative from Craigmore and an independent, Mike Fleming.
The Argyll Dairy and Riverview farms have supplied Danone for three seasons since mid-2019 and the information memorandum comments that this supply relationship brings attractive payment terms and good milk price certainty.
Danone pays for milk quality and for A2 protein supply, and all the 600,000kg Danone supplies is now certified A2. Blending and packing of well-known brands of infant formula is done in Auckland.
More details of the offer and Argyll Group, plus a link to register interest, are on the Syndex platform and website.
Interested investors will need to sign a non-disclosure agreement before seeing the Danone supply agreement, Fleming said.
The Argyll Dairy and Riverview farms’ supply relationship brings attractive payment terms and good milk price certainty.
Information memo
SPECIALISATION: The South Otago processing plant of Danone Nutricia uses A2 milk supply from Argyll Group to make infant formula base powder.
Danone has 25 farms and growing
DANONE Nutricia at Cluthavale has 25 supply farms and is looking to grow production in line with the performance of its brands and demand for high quality New Zealand products.
The head of corporate affairs for Danone Oceania, Scott Pettet, said the Fonterra farmgate milk price is a reference level with incentives related to quality and A2 protein composition.
The continued expansion of the A2 milk intake will be as required, based on the product portfolio and supply base.
Pettet said Cluthavale will commission its biomass boiler for factory steam supply during this quarter and that will eliminate 20,000 tonnes of CO2equivalent emissions annually.
The company supports Clutha Valley Primary School, including for school lunches, and it has sponsored the Balclutha Half Marathon for a number of years.
Danone is partnering with Synlait, AgResearch and the Government on a landmark soil health research project to measure and provide farmers with the tools to enhance soil health, including identifying where regenerative agriculture practices can make a difference.
Two paddocks on each of 10 farms in Waikato, Canterbury and Otago will be dedicated to a comparison between conventional practices and regenerative practices, focusing on greater pasture diversity and reduced nitrogen fertiliser use.
Calciprill ®
leaves all other limes for dust!
Application rate guide (kg/ha)*
Soil type
Sand/loamy sand Sandy/silt loam Clay/loamy clay
Topdressed 0.5 pH increase 300
500
625
10-15% organic matter 750
Direct drilled or air seeded
75
125
150
175
+25% organic matter 1000 200 *Omya recommends you soil test recularly and seek advice from independent agricultural professionals A 2-6mm lime granule made in Waikato from fi nely ground high purity limestone. • Cost effective • Low in dust, easy to spread • Breaks down rapidly in moisture • Can be applied using your own equipment • 95% < 75 microns
HARDWOODS: Landowner Tim Rose in his eucalypt plantation in the Wekaweka valley, with native undergrowth under mature stringybark eucalypts.
Northland water under microscope
Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz
E COLI contamination and low levels of macroinvertebrates are two of the most pressing issues in Northland water quality, says Northland Regional Council (NRC) land management officer John Ballinger.
He told a workshop for rural professionals on rural sustainability that the key environmental issues for Northland do not include nitrogen for most rivers and soils but do include E coli, sediment, phosphorus and the invertebrates.
The National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management has five attribute bands, ranging from A as good to D and E as poor.
In Northland, 94% of waterways are in the D and E bands for E coli, 22% are D for phosphorus, 50% to 70% are D for macroinvertebrates, 16% are D for sediment and 5% D for periphyton, commonly algae.
Northland also faces loss of its wetlands through drainage and weed infestation and some degradation of its dune lakes.
“We have lots of work to do to turn these environmental indicators around,” said Ballinger.
“What is a problem today may not have been caused today, but is a legacy issue, particularly with sediment.”
He is project manager for the regional council’s hill country erosion programme and the councilowned and -run poplar and willow nursery.
NRC can help with funding to improve water quality through riparian fencing and planting, supporting catchment groups and retirement of eroding hill country.
“We supply poplar and willow poles at subsidised prices and our land management officers provide free advice.”
Livestock exclusion is a primary tool for protection of waterways and stopping bank erosion and faecal contamination.
NRC will reallocate its funding from the higher slopes to lower slopes as national requirements for freshwater take effect.
Within the Kaipara Harbour catchment in Northland’s region, 23% of land area has been mapped as high erosion risk hill country, modelled to account for approximately 70% of annual sediment loads entering the harbour.
Grants for retirement of eroding hills are available up to $1,500/ha for 2ha or greater, capped at $30,000 and planting species other than radiata pine at 2m by 3m spacings.
“We need to diversify our tree species to adapt to climate change, to avoid radiata pests, diseases, storms and drought – we need both exotic and native,” said Ballinger.
Northland has a wide choice of species and continuous cover is the ideal regime, where trees are not clear-felled but taken out singly or in small coupes.
Clear-felling every 25 years leads to large sedimentary losses, notwithstanding the improvements in ground disturbance made by the forestry industry.
NRC has three pilots underway – eucalypts in a mānuka nurse crop at Paparoa; totara at Waipapa; and mānuka, tallow wood and redwood at Waitangi.
“We have the opportunity to grow 100% sustainable, NZ-grown hardwoods instead of importing our needs.”
Space planting of poplars and willows on pastures can also be registered in the Emissions Trading Scheme, with new varieties like kawa, for which timber application has been made for building code compliance. ECLIPSE® and EPRINEX® have formed the backbone to ® have formed the backbone to New Zealand farms over the generations for animal health. So together with these Merino Icebreaker Thermals, we’ve created the ultimate legends of the land for you and your stock this season.
Purchase qualifying cattle drench products this season and you’ll receive either an ICEBREAKER short sleeve merino tee or a long sleeve merino jersey absolutely FREE*
*Promo runs from 1st August - 30th September 2022. Ask in clinic for qualifying products.
Ensure young stock become future high producers through improved health, growth and energy at: futureproducers.co.nz
KICKER KICKER: Exports in June were up $457m or 7.7% on June 2021, mainly for meat, milk powder, butter, cheese, infant formula and casein.
Fuel costs eat into trade balance
Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz
NEW Zealand’s balance of trade, exports versus imports, declined sharply to an annual deficit of $10.5 billion in the 12 months to the end of June, compared with the corresponding period to end June 2021.
The beginning of the steep fall can be traced back to November 2020 when Statistics NZ reported a $3.2b surplus for the 12 months prior.
That was the most recent trade surplus peak and the middle of a relatively rare surplus period over the past 22 years.
In the latest figures, for the month of June 2022, spending on import goods rose $1.4b or 24% to $7.1b, because petroleum and products doubled, up $795 million, now we import value-add fuels rather than refine them at Marsden Point.
StatsNZ pointed out that imports of fuels often fluctuate from month to month and that expenditure on diesel, for example, was eight times greater than in June 2021, while the quantity rose three times.
It also said it was not possible to publish some of the trend series for seasonally adjusted movements because of the effects of covid-19.
Exports in June compared with June 2021 were up $457m or 7.7%, mainly for meat, milk powder, butter, cheese, infant formula and casein.
Within that category beef exports were up 23% to $504m and sheepmeats up 15% to $397m. Milkfat products rose 39% in value and cheese was up 11%.
The dairy category also contained a fall in exports of milk powder to China, down $232m, and log exports were also down $110m, only partly offset by a rise in preparations of milk, cereals, flour, and starch (including infant formula), up $78m, and gold kiwifruit, up $62m.
The monthly trade balance was a deficit of $701m, with exports $6.4b and imports $7.1b.
For the year ended June exports were $67.6b, up $7.2b from the previous year.
Annual goods imports were valued at $78.1b, up $17.4b.
ZandaAward
Learn | Network | Experience | Grow
We’re growing future leaders in agriculture
Seaweed option closer than rules can see
The sound of the ticking clock on climate change has lifted several decibels in recent weeks as the northern hemisphere summer burns up vast areas of land, and temperatures surge over 40degC. The lift in alarm and tempo around climate change has added an urgency to Dr Steve Meller’s call for more rapid uptake of a methane mitigator for livestock here in New Zealand. Richard Rennie spoke to the head of methane mitigation company CH4 Global about the need for speed around methane mitigation, as a lead into his visit for this year’s 2035 Agri-Food-Tech conference.
WHILE New Zealand’s pastoral sector contemplates what He Waka Eke Noa (HWEN) will mean for the nuts and bolts of emissions reductions, Dr Steve Meller says it may pay to look across the Tasman to see how much faster they are moving when it comes to reducing methane.
Despite a history of Australian federal government ambivalence towards climate change, the country’s beef industry has set a goal to become carbon neutral by 2030 and has looked to methane inhibitors to help get there.
Meller’s company, CH4 Global, caused a splash in New Zealand in 2020 when it announced it was scaling up its red seaweed aquaculture production for livestock methane inhibitor, to be based at Rakiura-Stewart Island.
But despite the boldness of HWEN, NZ appears to have stalled at a regulatory level in getting Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines rules changed to accommodate methane inhibitors, and Meller fears we may fall behind Australia if accommodations are not made quickly.
“We are already just launching commercially into Australia, but regulations here appear to require a two-year window to conduct research that has already been done,” says Meller.
“Put most simply, there really is not the time to stall, given the targets NZ has set itself.”
He says all research work he has had done CH4 Global’s natural red seaweed product indicates there is no safety concern, and Australian uptake only reinforces that.
“And you can be sure, by 2030 with only a few exceptions almost every country’s government will have goals aligned to the Paris Accord and NZ risks missing out on accessing something that is on its doorstep right now.”
Given that livestock greenhouse gases are so dominant at almost 50% of emissions, NZ simply has to move quickly and decisively if it is to stand a chance of moving the emission dial at all.
Meller is guardedly optimistic that despite its flaws HWEN will provide the demand “pull” from farmers wanting to get on with methane reduction in a cost-effective way, while the Australians’ move to adopt the mitigation tech will provide comfort to government policy makers here.
The native red seaweed species can obviously be grown here in the wild, but Meller will be using his conference visit to highlight advances CH4 Global has made in land-based production of the seaweed ,which provides greater control over harvest density and consistency.
This includes a more viable option to conventional tanks and discussing a new way of processing the harvested seaweed that does not involve expensive and energy-intensive freeze drying.
He says each of these innovations has reduced the cost of production significantly and together they have put the product comfortably within reach of farmers having to reduce greenhouse gas output, while also improving individual animal performance.
“This is clearly coming through with the published beef feedlot data and we believe it will be the case with dairy. We are working on that now.”
Overall gas reductions are shown to be up to 90% in published studies to date.
The company’s latest publicly revealed breakthrough was a year ago when it shared that its collaboration with NIWA had advanced to the point where they could trigger seaweed spore release, allowing it to build quantities on demand in landbased hatcheries, to make large scale commercialisation more viable.
Meller says the areas needed for Australia to become self-sufficient with the red seaweed mitigator are surprisingly small. Estimates are that the country’s 27 million cattle would require about 1400ha of land-based production, and NZ would be less than half that.
“It is possible you could have a facility growing it in the North Island, and one in the South Island to supply the country’s entire needs.”
In South Australia the company is partnering with a group of aboriginal people to build a production facility, and they have hopes of working with iwi here.
But Meller wants to see the NZ Government engage more rapidly with innovators like CH4 Global, lest the ramping-up in production facilities ends up in countries more inclined to pick up the technology with less red tape.
“It’s really up to New Zealand and New Zealand regulators. If they make it too hard, we will go elsewhere.”
PACE NEEDED: Dr Steve Meller says NZ risks missing out on a carbon mitigation opportunity if regulations continue to stymie farmers’ ability to adopt that technology.
14 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 1, 2022
News New markets critical for NZ avo industry
Gerald Piddock gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz
WITH production set to climb over the next five years, New Zealand’s avocado industry needs to develop new export markets to ensure sustainable growth opportunities for the country’s producers.
Diversifying export markets will be critical for the avocado industry, according to the report Australian & New Zealand Avocado Outlook 2022 produced by Rabobank.
The report says NZ’s avocado production is forecast to grow by an average 6% annually for the next five years, reaching 57,000 tonnes by 2026 — up from 44,000t in 2021.
Rabobank associate analyst and report author Pia Piggott says the majority of this production growth will come from the Northland and Bay of Plenty regions.
“And while the general production trend will be in an upwards direction, we also anticipate this growth will be highly variable on an annual basis due to ‘alternate bearing’, which results in irregular crop loads from one season to the next,” writes Piggott.
NZ is highly reliant on Australia, with that market accounting for 79% of total New Zealand avocado exports over the past five years.
NZ is well placed to supply the Australian market, but that country’s own supply has ramped up considerably of late, particularly in Western Australia – leading to a national oversupply.
“It’s essential that the New Zealand industry continues to grow its sales into other export markets that can pick up the slack when Australian import demand is lower,” Piggott says.
The industry made significant progress growing sales to other markets in 2021, despite exports by volume being back by 11%.
This was partly due to the oversupply issues in Australia and the resulting drop in sales into that market, she says.
“While exports to Australia fell, strong growth was recorded in other export markets with avocado sales to the rest of the world (excluding Australia) up by 154%.
“This included improved export sales into Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea – with NZ exports making up 9%, 4% and 12% of total imports into those markets respectively – as well as strong export growth in markets like China, Thailand, Taiwan and India.”
This is promising, but further market diversification will be required by the NZ avocado industry in the years ahead.
“While New Zealand was less reliant on Australia in 2021, it still accounted for two-thirds of New Zealand avocado exports by volume,” she said. “And with Australian avocado production forecast to grow rapidly over the coming years, it’s essential that the New Zealand industry continues to add new overseas markets and to expand the share of its avocado exports that are heading to other countries around the world.” Further export expansion into the Asian market presents the best opportunity for New Zealand as growth of the Asian middle class is expected to continue increasing consumer demand for avocados, Piggott says.
New Zealand Avocado chief executive Jen Scoular agreed with the report’s sentiment but pointed out that the industry is already diversifying away from the Australian market and trying to increase its presence in Asia.
“We have been focused on developing our markets in Asia for five years and last year we put treble the amount of volume in which was great, and now we have to look at how we can get a premium in those markets,” Scoular said.
The fundamentals are still good for avocados and the industry has access to the top eight Asian countries that purchase avocados. There is huge potential for demand in those markets.
For growers, the focus is on trying to improve the consistency of the fruit to ensure they are all premium quality.
New Zealanders eat 3.5kg of avocados per person per year compared to 0.5kg in Asian countries. There is huge potential to increase consumption in that market, Scoular said.
“It’s about building demand for our avocados and putting a premium on them so our small volumes can get into Asia and get prices that get a good return for our growers.”
DIVERSIFY: Rabobank associate analyst Pia Piggott is urging the NZ avocado industry to look beyond its reliance on exports to Australia.
LET’S GROW: Young achiever finalists Joshua Mercer, Rajan Singh, winner Amy Clark, Ellen Ballantine and Eilish Chilton.
VOTE KYLIE LEONARD for FMG Board of Directors
Ensuring the Grassroots Farmer is heard at the Board table
Kylie is a Dairy and Beef Farmer in the Central Plateau. Married to Rick. Mother of Kate, Isla and Eloise. Experience • Chartered Member of the
Institute of Directors • Elected Fonterra Co-operative
Council • Elected Director of Vetora • Trustee of Hillary Outdoors • Elected Taupo District Council Recent Education • Fonterra Governance and Development Programme • Institute of Directors Company Direction residential • Farmlands To the Core • Waikato University Post Graduate Global Leadership • 2022 Finalist
Women in
Governance • 2020 Recipient
Local Hero Medal • 2019 Finalist
Women of Infl uence
Young Auckland plant producer named the best in New Zealand
Staff reporter
THE FUTURE of the country’s $500 million plant production industry is in excellent hands as shown by the talent of this year’s Young Achiever of the Year, Amy Clark, branch manager of Kings Plant Barn in Botany.
Clark was named Young Achiever 2022 at a business breakfast in Christchurch last week, during which all five finalists delivered speeches on the future of the industry. Earlier the competitors took part in Challenge Day at Lincoln University, where they were tested on the skills needed to run a successful plant production business, including finance, plant biosecurity and identification, and health & safety.
Judges looked for individuals who could make a difference in the industry, going beyond great skills to also include leadership, attitude and personality. The judges said Clark was very well rounded in all the skills and attributes required and in particular excelled at plant identification and biosecurity.
Along with her trophy, she has won a 12-month programme of mentorship support plus a $4000 fund to advance her career. She will also take part in the Young Horticulturalist of the Year competition in November, when she will compete against finalists from the entire horticulture sector, vying for a prize pool worth more than $20,000.
Since 2016 New Zealand’s Young Achievers have placed either first or second in Young Hort.
Clark has a bachelor’s degree in agricultural science and is now looking into studying horticulture with an emphasis on soil health and science. Her passion is edible plants: “I absolutely love being able to utilise plants in more ways than one, particularly as a vegetarian!”
The Young Achiever 2022 runners up were Joshua Mercer, plant propagation technician at Growing Spectrum in Hamilton, and Ellen Ballantine, potting team leader at Rainbow Park Nurseries in Drury, Auckland. The other finalists were Eilish Chilton, viticultural technician at Riversun Nursery in Gisborne and Rajan Singh, nursery supervisor at Kings Plant Barn in Auckland .
Amy Clark Young Achiever 2022
Foot-and-mouth disease: Work ramped up to keep it out of NZ
Biosecurity NZ has ramped up its readiness work – and introduced new measures – to protect
New Zealand farmers from footand-mouth disease.
While FMD exists in many countries, and the risk from
Indonesia’s recent and fastspreading outbreak is low for
New Zealand, Biosecurity NZ deputy director-general Stuart
Anderson is urging all travellers and farmers to be vigilant and play their part.
“We already have a very thorough biosecurity network in place, and we’re adding several layers and elements to lower our risk even more,” says Mr Anderson. „Our multi-layered biosecurity system includes risk assessment, visual inspections, X-ray screening, scanning technology, and detector dogs to prevent risk goods from being carried into New Zealand by travellers or arriving by mail. All shipping containers and imported goods are assessed for biosecurity risk.“
The additional measures introduced since the FMD detection in Indonesia in May, include: • Extra biosecurity questioning and checks at airports for passengers who visited
Indonesia • Foot mats with disinfecting chemicals are being used for
arrivals from Indonesia, to ensure footwear is clean of the virus • An FMD readiness and response taskforce is operational to ensure all preparedness work is refreshed and up to date • A ban on bringing in personal consignments of meat – even if cooked or processed – from
Indonesia • Raising awareness among farmers of the disease, its symptoms and crucial precautions they can take • A wide-ranging awareness campaign for travellers • An on-the-ground audit in
Indonesia was completed
to assess New Zealand’s biosecurity requirements for palm kernel imports • Close cooperation with our
Australian counterparts to regularly assess the situation • Assisting Indonesia with tools and technical help in
their fight against FMD • Providing regular updates to primary sector partners and the veterinary network “We’re appealing to travellers coming from Indonesia to play their part, and to be patient during the very thorough checks happening at the points of arrival,” Mr Anderson says. “New Zealand is free from foot-and-mouth disease, and we are committed to maintaining vigilance against FMD.”
Extra biosecurity questioning and checks at airports have been introduced for passengers who visit Indonesia.
ADVICE FOR FARMERS
Farmers play an important role in keeping FMD out of New Zealand. You should have an on-farm biosecurity plan and know what to do in case of a suspected outbreak.
DO
• Buy stock from reputable suppliers • Maintain accurate and up-to-date NAIT records • Minimise contact between your stock and other animals (for example, on neighbouring properties) • Quarantine new stock away from existing stock until you’re sure they are healthy – at least for one week but preferably two • Check feed labels to make sure they are suitable for the stock • Minimise potential contamination risks of people, vehicles and equipment entering and moving throughout the farm through thorough biosecurity protocols • Anyone concerned about their animals’ health, especially for symptoms including high fever, mouth and feet blisters or erosions and lameness, should call their veterinarian or MPI’s exotic pest and disease hotline (0800 80 99 66)
DON‘T
• Feed ruminant protein to ruminants (such as cattle, sheep, lambs, goats, deer, alpacas and llamas) • Feed pigs food that could contain (or have contacted) meat, unless it has been cooked for 1 hour at 100 deg C • Allow overseas visitors near stock for a week after they were last near animals or infected places overseas • Let overseas visitors bring contaminated shoes or clothes onto your farm
What to do if you have visited Indonesia
• Clean footwear and clothing before arrival in NZ • Do not bring any animal products or meat • Declare your visit to biosecurity officers at the airport • Declare if you have had any contact with livestock • Allow time for additional biosecurity questions and bag searches • Footwear may be disinfected at airport • If you had contact with livestock, stay away from farms and susceptible animals in NZ for one week.
Awareness campaign for travellers
The wide-reaching campaign is targeting travellers at the planning stage of any travel to Indonesia, as well as in-flight and on arrival in New Zealand. Online digital messaging via Google and Facebook is warning travellers of the risks of FMD, when they enter key search terms such as ‘hotels’ and ‘flights’. On flights from Australia to New Zealand, in-flight announcements are stressing the importance of passengers fully declaring their itineraries, any contact with livestock in Indonesia, as well as the ban on bringing any animal products or meat into New Zealand. These messages are being reinforced at our international airports via digital noticeboards, banners and flyers, and by biosecurity officers. Travellers coming in from Indonesia are also subject to additional biosecurity checks, which include extensive bag searches and the disinfecting of footwear.
‘FMD found in Australia’ not live virus
Live foot-and-mouth disease virus has not been found on food in Australia, despite some news reports suggesting it had been detected in Melbourne. Australian officials confirmed that viral fragments had been found on some ‘pork floss’ product, but such fragments are not infectious and cannot transfer live virus to another animal. It is not unusual for non-infectious viral fragments to be found in food. Biosecurity NZ deputy director-general Stuart Anderson says there is no heightened risk to New Zealand. “Pork floss can be legally imported to countries like New Zealand and Australia if it follows strict import health standards, such as the use of heat treatment. “As an extra precaution, Biosecurity New Zealand will undertake market surveillance to double check product available here is legally imported,” Mr Anderson said. Travellers to New Zealand are not allowed to bring in any meat products.
Palm kernel audit
An on-the-ground audit of Indonesia’s palm kernel supply chain has shown it is meeting New Zealand’s strict biosecurity requirements for FMD. Biosecurity New Zealand deputy director-general Stuart Anderson says experts were sent to Indonesia to check that the palm kernel supply chain is meeting requirements. “The risk of PKE (Palm Kernel Extract) carrying FMD is low because of the heat processes used to produce it and there are strong import health standards in place for products coming from Indonesia, especially PKE. “We did a virtual audit of Indonesia’s PKE supply chain last year and it showed producers were following our import health standards, but we wanted to carry out an on-the-groundaudit as an extra layer of assurance. “Our people visited sites across the country, including a mix of production, storage and loading facilities. Our auditors were able to see all stages of the supply chain and found that suppliers are meeting our strict import health standards.”
Turning the knowing into doing
farmstrong.co.nz
NADINE Hickman helps to run an Angus stud farm near Blenheim, but in 2020 she launched PepTalk, a magazine designed to raise awareness about mental health and give rural communities the tools to navigate tough times.
Publishing a magazine is a major undertaking. Why did you start PepTalk?
I really wanted to empower rural people with the skills and tools they can use to build a healthy mind. The magazine is my vision for how the world can look when people choose to think in ways that help them cope with the challenges and stresses of everyday life.
I also felt frustrated by what I saw happening in society in terms of mental health. We know more about the mind than ever before – there’s so much science and research about what keeps people well – and yet as a society our mental health seems to be getting worse. I felt as a country we still had that real “ambulance at the bottom of the cliff” approach. Healthy thinking is about having the mental skills to thrive in good times and bad.
What’s your own background?
I’ve been married to a farmer for 17 years. We breed bulls and are also involved in a partnership growing grapes. We’re wintering around 6000 stock units – Angus cattle and trade lambs.
You’ve been through some tough times yourself, haven’t you?
Yes, I’ve personally experienced both the misery of mental illness and also what life is like when you feel as if you’re thriving. I know what end of the scale I want to be living at and that’s what motivates me to help others.
What makes farming so mentally demanding?
I think there are three main challenges. The first is that so much of what happens is beyond your control. The two biggies here are the weather and prices. Farming is probably the only business where you don’t get to set the price of your product, you have to take it and it can really fluctuate.
The second challenge is that the work on a farm is never done. The next job is staring at you out the window. You’ve living there and you can’t escape that.
The third thing is that farmers care so much about what they do. It’s not just a job, they really care about the legacy they’re leaving for future generations. When you’re so emotionally invested in something, it can leave you vulnerable.
I’m sure a lot of farmers would agree with that list, but what can you do about these challenges if you’re super busy?
There are thinking skills you can learn that help people cope when they’re busy and under pressure. For example, “controlling the controllables” is an incredibly helpful strategy.
How does that work?
If you’re feeling stressed out, get a piece of paper. Draw a circle. Make a list of what you can control in the circle and write what you can’t control outside the circle. Then put all your focus and energy into the things inside the circle. If you do everything you can control, that makes it possible to let go of worry. And if we focus on what we can control to the best of our ability, it often mitigates what we can’t control. So, it’s a very practical way to manage stress.
What about managing workload?
A concept we promote in PepTalk is called “ruthless” prioritisation. When there is so much work and it is never finished, you really do have to be ruthless. What that means is not just choosing the most important thing on your list to do next, but also sacrificing something. Make the list shorter.
Many farmers mention that getting time off farm is a challenge. Any suggestions?
It’s about doing what’s possible, rather than nothing. When I think back to when our kids were little and it was just my husband working on farm, it was literally impossible for us to get away for any length of time. But we had a beach close to our farm, so for us time off was heading there on a Sunday afternoon. That’s the beauty of working rurally, farms are in beautiful places, so it’s about finding little ways to make those breaks happen.
How can farmers deal with day-to-day stress and
pressure?
There are lots of ways to give your mind a chance to refresh. One simple strategy is mindfulness – just take a moment while you’re working to admire something about your surroundings. Just enjoy being out there in nature, living in the moment.
If you’re really feeling “under the pump”, try some breathing techniques. You might be sitting in the tractor. At some point, just pause and take a long, slow breath and become more aware of your thoughts so that, if necessary, you can change them. Managing stress is often about having the willpower to find more helpful ways of thinking about a situation.
You mean adopting a different mindset?
Yes, mindset is everything in farming. Two people can experience exactly the same problem, but their perception of it, and its impact on their wellbeing, will be totally different. That’s why working on your thinking is important. Your attitude has a huge bearing on your wellbeing. they think about mental illness. But mental health is just health. We need to think about it the same way we think about physical health. Just like good food keeps you well, adopting habits like Farmstrong’s Five Ways to Wellbeing improves your mental health.
It’s not something airy fairy, it’s a very practical thing that you can do for yourself.
That’s why I started Peptalk – to make information about keeping well casually accessible so people feel motivated to give it a go. When you try something for yourself and see the benefit, that’s what keeps you doing it.
Looking ahead, what are your goals for PepTalk?
I want to motivate people to be more proactive about managing the pressures of farming. We have all these tools and thinking strategies that we know help. There’s a heap of science and research behind them that proves that. So, now we need people to priotitise it in their lives – we need to turn the knowing into doing.
What are the benefits of these strategies for a business?
I can only repeat the Farmstrong message – you are the biggest asset on your farm. That’s so true. You can’t do your best or be at your best for the people around you if you’re not in good shape physically or mentally. That’s the reality of farming.
EMPOWERING: Nadine Hickman and her husband Paul with their children Ashlee, Matt, Samantha and Victoria on farm at Taimate during their recent bull sale.
Photo: Sharron Bennett
Agrievents
Generation Change is back! August 2, 2022 This one-day workshop and mentoring programme from @AgriWomensDevelopmentTrust prepares young women to make an impact in food & fi bre. By exploring their values and strengths, drafting a career plan and connecting with inspiring food & fi bre people - it’s about supporting the next generation of primary sector women to bring their true selves to the sector. Know a young woman starting her primary sector journey in tertiary study or training? Tell her about Generation Change, happening in Palmerston North. Learn more at: https://www.awdt.org.nz/generation-change-2/
It’s all about YOU Calling all primary sector women! Is 2022 your time to uncover your true value, purpose and identity? Run by our friends at @AgriWomensDevelopmentTrust, ‘It’s all about YOU’ is a popular two-day personal development programme that re-prioritises you. Registrations are now open! Find your nearest programme at: https://www.awdt.org.nz/programmes/its-all-aboutyou/ You’re not your farm, your job or your kids. You, are you. In your search for confi dence and self-worth - your values, strengths, goals and experiences will show you the way. It’s all about YOU is a two-day personal development programme that uncovers your true value and identity. Guiding your group are professional facilitators who will both cultivate a culture of trust, and support you one-on-one. It’s all about YOU runs on a two-tier fee model. If you are from a farm, from a rural community, or running a small business, you are eligible for a subsidy. Thanks to generous support from AWDT and DairyNZ the fee is $420 + GST. Where women are sponsored by their primary sector business or organisation, the full programme fee of $1,000 + GST applies.
