Farmers Weekly NZ August 5 2024

C

Thumbs up for move to simplify regs

FARMING industry leaders are welcoming a government move to overhaul legislation it says hampers New Zealand agriculture’s ability to keep pace with the rest of the world.

The Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines (ACVM) Act and the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Acts are to be streamlined and bought into line with regulations used by other countries.

This review marks a significant step in our efforts to work with regulators to streamline processes and to enhance competitiveness in our sector.

Gavin Kerr

Animal and Plant Health NZ

The announcement came from the three ministers involved in the process – Regulation

Review Minister David Seymour, Minister for the Environment

Penny Simmonds and Minister for Biosecurity and Food Safety

Andrew Hoggard.

Richard Rennie & Eric Frykberg NEWS Regulation Continued page 3

“Right now, there are too many

delays, and the process is too complex,” said Seymour.

“It stops farmers and growers from getting access to products that have been approved by other OECD countries.

“One business I visited recently described the current process as like being in the ice-cream queue behind a family of 13, because all applications, changes and new products are in the same line.

“It all just takes too long.”

Gavin Kerr, president of Animal and Plant Health NZ, welcomed the ministers’ announcement, which includes the terms of reference for the review.

“This review marks a significant step in our efforts to work with regulators to streamline processes and to enhance competitiveness in our sector,” he said.

“The review aims to find a balance between efficient regulation and the need for access to new technologies and innovations that will keep our industry globally competitive.”

Kerr echoed a longstanding issue the sector has had with delays.

Alison Stewart, CEO of the Foundation for Arable Research, said it was a good move and anything that streamlines the registration system for crop treatments would be a benefit for all players.

She had earlier expressed disappointment that the

Bremworth spends big on wool adverts

Wool carpet manufacturer Bremworth is launching a multimillion-dollar marketing campaign to address misconceptions about wool and to grow exports.

NEWS 10

SECTORFOCUS

Agresearch makes more than 20 people redundant as it addresses funding issues.

NEWS 3

Rest easy with our

A genetic trial of dairy beef cattle has revealed how to enhance carcase performance while sidelining animals of lower worth, says GENEZ general manager Ben Watson.

SHEEP & BEEF 18-23

Cow urine the hotly contested field of battle as scientists dispute to Nth degree.

NEWS 4

Challenges around rights of land ownership yet to be solved, writes David Eade.

OPINION 15

Photo: Bremworth

Get in touch

EDITORIAL

Bryan Gibson | 06 323 1519

Managing Editor bryan.gibson@agrihq.co.nz

Craig Page | 03 470 2469 Deputy Editor craig.page@agrihq.co.nz

Claire Robertson

Sub-Editor claire.robertson@agrihq.co.nz

Neal Wallace | 03 474 9240

Journalist neal.wallace@agrihq.co.nz

Gerald Piddock | 027 486 8346

Journalist gerald.piddock@agrihq.co.nz

Annette Scott | 021 908 400

Journalist annette.scott@agrihq.co.nz

Hugh Stringleman | 09 432 8594

Journalist hugh.stringleman@agrihq.co.nz

Richard Rennie | 027 475 4256

Journalist richard.rennie@agrihq.co.nz

Nigel Stirling | 021 136 5570

Journalist nigel.g.stirling@gmail.com

PRODUCTION

Lana Kieselbach | 027 739 4295 production@agrihq.co.nz

ADVERTISING MATERIAL

Supply to: adcopy@agrihq.co.nz

SUBSCRIPTIONS

0800 85 25 80 subs@agrihq.co.nz

PRINTER

Printed by NZME

Delivered by Reach Media Ltd

Advertise

SALES CONTACTS

Andy Whitson | 027 626 2269

Sales & Marketing Manager andy.whitson@agrihq.co.nz

Andy Whitson | 027 626 2269

Auckland/Northland Partnership Manager andy.whitson@agrihq.co.nz

Jody Anderson | 027 474 6094

Waikato/Bay of Plenty Partnership Manager jody.anderson@agrihq.co.nz

Palak Arora | 027 474 6095

Lower North Island Partnership Manager palak.arora@agrihq.co.nz

Omid Rafyee | 027 474 6091

South Island Partnership Manager omid.rafyee@agrihq.co.nz

Julie Gibson | 06 323 0765 Marketplace Partnership Manager classifieds@agrihq.co.nz

Andrea Mansfield | 027 602 4925 National Livestock Manager livestock@agrihq.co.nz

Real Estate | 0800 85 25 80 realestate@agrihq.co.nz

Word Only Advertising | 0800 85 25 80 Marketplace wordads@agrihq.co.nz

PUBLISHERS

Dean and Cushla Williamson Phone: 027 323 9407 dean.williamson@agrihq.co.nz cushla.williamson@agrihq.co.nz

Farmers Weekly is Published by AgriHQ PO Box 529, Feilding 4740, New Zealand Phone: 0800 85 25 80 Website: www.farmersweekly.co.nz

ISSN 2463-6002 (Print) ISSN 2463-6010 (Online)

Contents

News in brief Stalwart dies

Dairy industry stalwart Jeff Bolstad has died.

The Morrinsville farmer was instrumental in developing the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards. His contribution was recognised in 2021 when he was presented with a Lifetime Contribution Award at the NZ Dairy Awards in Hamilton by NZDIA trust chair Natasha Tere.

Rumin8 registers

Methane-reducing compounds for New Zealand farmers to use are a step closer with Australian company Rumin8 registering its feed additives provisionally with the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines board. With registration Rumin8 is now able to conduct efficacy and safety studies on commercial farm operations to generate data to back final approval for use here.

Posthumous award

Canterbury farmer John Reeves has been posthumously honoured for his contribution to the New Zealand pork sector, with NZ Pork’s Outstanding Contribution Award.

Reeves, who died in March this year, farmed in the region for 40 years. He was also a founder of the New Zealand Pork Corporation wholesaling company, which became Porkcorp. The company went on to purchase the National Pig Breeding Company to maintain genetic diversity.

Tutors appointed

Two new wool classing tutors have been appointed, easing concerns in the profession that there may no longer be formal training following the retirement of two long-serving tutors.

The Southern Institute of Technology has appointed Rebecca Braddick and Emma O’Sullivan to tutor the NZ Certificate in Wool Technology and Classing (Level 4), the country’s only wool classing programme.

Red meat sec tor faces up to the challenge

AgResearch cuts jobs amid funding squeeze

Neal Wallace PEOPLE Employment

AGRESEARCH has made more than 20 people redundant as it aligns the business with cost increases and funding cuts while aiming to turn around decades of annual deficits.

The redundancies, half of which are voluntary, come from science support, human resources, information technology and infrastructure management.

It has also employed an external contractor to provide options and opportunities for its farm holdings, to mitigate financial risk while ensuring research continues.

In recent months contributions from contestable funds such as the Our Land and Water National Science Challenge, worth $5 million to AgResearch, have ended or become more restricted.

Chief executive Sue Bidrose said much of that reduced funding will be covered by investment from commercial partners or clients but AgResearch is also taking a close look at its costs and assets.

She said it has no current plans to sell any of its farms.

Continued from page 1

Environmental Protection Authority did not respond more positively to a report that was critical of delays in getting new treatment products approved.

These had drifted from taking 400 days to approve 14 applications in 2014 to only eight applications for new products between 2021-13, taking 1048 days.

The review’s terms of reference covers things like enabling access to products, while ensuring risks of products are known and

Responsible governance requires that it constantly reviews costs and assets and Bidrose said government funding has been steady at $44.9m since 2002, with only a one-off $5m increase in that period.

She said there are no current plans to sell any farms, but it is selling its former Lincoln campus site, now a new centre has opened across the road, and two flats in the town that are surplus to requirements.

Running farms and infrastructure for research is costly, she said.

AgResearch currently owns Tokanui, a 335 hectare Waikato dairy farm; Aorangi, a 191ha property that supports methane research located near Palmerston North; Woolfords block, an 85ha grazing unit that supports Aorangi; Ballantrae, a 473ha high country farm near Woodville; Lincoln Farm, a 129ha unit near Christchurch; Woodlands, a 248ha sheep farm near Invercargill, and Invermay, a 578ha unit near Dunedin where it conducts sheep, deer and water quality research.

AgResearch has run at a loss for most of its existence and Bidrose said the board has decided that can

appropriately managed, whether they affect human or animal health or the environment.

The review will look at individual regulatory systems from the viewpoint of those trying to seek approvals through them, and to understand what problem is being addressed by the regulation, and whether the regulatory systems are achieving their stated purpose.

Any findings will be benchmarked against comparable international regulators and international best practice.

no longer continue.

According to its Statement of Corporate Intent, AgResearch ran a pre-tax deficit of $6m in 20242024 and has budgeted for a $4.4m loss this year.

In 2026 it is forecasting a net profit after tax of $1.6m and a $385,000 profit in 2027.

Revenue grew from $148m in 2024 to a forecast $155.6m in 2026 and $153.5m in 2027.

“We are in a position where we are close to returning a profit and reinvesting in our own science,” she said.

AgResearch has tried to sell Woodlands back to its original owner but the deal was not concluded and the farm has been retained.

Bidrose said the science company’s focus is to provide advice, design solutions and new technology to tackle climate change, improve food systems, and create relationships that are of benefit and value for farmers.

A research priority is sustainable agriculture in a changing climate by finding actionable, sciencebased solutions, tools and knowledge to maintain both environmental and financial sustainability.

The review will also look at the often-controversial overlap between the HSNO and ACVM regulatory systems.

“Although the remit of the two regulatory systems differ, the majority of the products covered by the ACVM regulatory system are also captured by the HSNO regulatory system,” the terms of reference say.

Federated Farmers arable chair David Birkett said farmers will be very pleased to see the overhaul underway.

“We have been pushing for this

will be covered by investment from commercial partners or clients but AgResearch is also taking a close look at its costs and assets.

We are in a position where we are close to returning a profit and reinvesting in our own science.

Sue Bidrose AgResearch

Another priority is thriving intergenerational landscapes and wellbeing centred on creating resilient, thriving whenua Māori

for a while. We want to see NZ farmers on a level playing field with the rest of the world for accessing the best possible animal and crop treatments.”

He said because NZ is a small market that has proven difficult for chemical companies to get approval in, many have abandoned efforts to continue trying to market new products here.

“We hope now that this will give them motivation to re-enter the NZ market.”

Plant and Food Research’s chief scientist Dr Richard Newcomb

farming landscapes that are productive and sustainable and also cater to cultural and social wellbeing.

The third priority is transitioning agrifood systems by transcending the scope of individual farms to catchments and regions with community-centred practices that prioritise long-term environmental and community health, stability, and wellbeing.

The final two research priorities are biosecurity threats and emerging foods and alternative proteins.

said many agri systems are transitioning from chemical to biological solutions, offering more sustainable approaches for controlling pests and diseases.

“While we can develop some of our own biological solutions here in NZ, many are being developed overseas and will need to be imported for use in NZ.

“Making sure our regulatory pathway is fit for purpose is vital in protecting our unique ecosystems from harm while ensuring we have the best tools available to grow food sustainably.”

Sam Whitelock Farmstrong Ambassador

INSPECTION: Chief executive Sue Bidrose says much of the reduced funding

Scientist hits back at research rebuke

Richard Rennie TECHNOLOGY Research

ASCIENTIST whose work on dairy cow urine nitrate concentrations was challenged by DairyNZ is standing by the work he and co-author Dr Jacqueline Rowarth released earlier this year.

Dr Graeme Coles and Rowarth had a peer-reviewed paper published by the NZ Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Science in May. Their work significantly revises down the claimed figure of 1000kg of nitrate per hectare in cow urine.

Coles is an ex-Plant and Food Research scientist and spent a period researching feed and fibre products for the pig and poultry industry and has also overseen commercial nutrition startup companies.

Their research work put the loss as the equivalent of 240kg N a hectare.

The figure has become a critical one on the grounds that it impacts the calculations of the nutrient budget software Overseer.

It also underpins work on nitrate mitigation options, including the

use of plantain pasture, which was challenged in a paper released in the NZ Journal of Agricultural Research this month.

The paper includes Rowarth and Coles’ challenge to the 1000kgN/ ha figure.

In response to that, DairyNZ scientists maintained it was a non-peer-reviewed popular

DAMPENED: Dr Graeme Coles and Dr Jacqueline Rowarth’s research maintains the level of nitrate losses in dairy cow urine is significantly lower than the commonly accepted level of 1000kgN/ha.

academically substantial body; they would have kicked our work out if it was not up to standard,” he said.

“It took us considerable time from first assembling the full portfolio of literature covering everything from renal function to the role of the soil-plant interface to determine the fate of urea once it hits the soil.

“There was two years of work and talking to scientists, including three highly regarded scientists who in the end could not contribute because they had a conflict of interest.”

He maintained the original 1000kgN/ha figure so widely accepted originally came from work in the early 1990s, based on scientists’ estimates of N urine concentrations in dairy cows raised indoors in Georgia in the United States.

press article and refers to a very narrow range of studies to draw its conclusion from.

But Coles has rejected that, saying the work was far from simply a popular article, having been published by the NZ Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Science on its website.

“It is considered to be an

Napier plant to re-open cleaner, greener

Richard Rennie NEWS Fertiliser

SPRINGTIME marks the timely opening of Ravensdown’s recommissioned Napier works site after the twin blows of a fire in late 2022 and significant flooding from Cyclone Gabrielle in February last year.

The multimillion-dollar rebuild and upgrade add another 30-plus years to the Awatoto site and represent a significant leap in technology and environmental improvements over the old plant, said works manager Tony Gray.

“A lot of the investment is commensurate with assets that have had their life extended. It also comes after we received a 35-year operating consent from Hawke’s Bay Regional Council with conditions around discharge to air and water.”

The two main projects on the site have been a new acidulation plant for the formulation of phosphate rock into superphosphate and a new atmospheric scrubber system that removes by-gases from the acidulation process before they can be released into the atmosphere.

The scrubbing project has also

combined three separate units into one, putting the plant on “world best” standards for environmental discharge and management.

Gray said other than the move from three scrubbing towers to one, there will be little else from the upgrade outwardly visible to Hawke’s Bay residents.

In response to the fire damage in late 2022 the company has also built a new manufacturing building, removing temporary measures put in place to keep the plant operating post-fire that year, just prior to Gabrielle forcing the plant to shut temporarily.

Along with the Pan Pac plant at

DairyNZ has described the reference in the plantain review to the 1000kg anomaly as a “red herring”, but Coles did not accept that on basic scientific grounds.

“We have questioned that number from first scientific principals and dug deeply enough to learn the original number was not based on NZ research.”

He accepted that DairyNZ has noted a more credible figure is work done in 2015 that estimates urine N content at the equivalent of 600kgN/ha.

It is considered to be an academically substantial publication, they would have kicked our work out if it was not up to standard.

Dr Graeme Coles Scientist

Asked if scientific “groupthink” had meant the focus had been too much on plantain as a N solution for farmers, rather than looking more broadly, Coles said scientists are under pressure socially and commercially to deliver outcomes.

“They should have developed a broad hypothesis to prove or disprove, but instead seem to have been told ‘This is the hypothesis you have to test.’

“Scientists will be less likely to oppose that approach when they have a lot less job security than even those in the health sector have these days.”

Whirinaki north of Napier, which was also hit hard by Gabrielle, the

two operators employ about 600 staff between them.

UPGRADE: The Ravensdown Napier plant has been hit hard by fire then Cyclone Gabrielle in the past 20 months.

Researcher rubbishes BLNZ water report

Neal Wallace NEWS Water

REGIONAL councils are being called on to stop implementing freshwater plans in light of a report claiming the standards are unachievable and with government changes to the legislation pending.

The call comes from Beef + Lamb New Zealand, citing a report it commissioned which said current national bottom line (NBL) standards for fine sediment and E coli could not be achieved and would be financially disastrous for sheep and beef farmers.

However, University of Otago Freshwater Research Fellow Marnie Prickett is critical of the report, saying water quality standards should be set by groups of scientists, not an individual. She said industry bodies should be supporting farmers instead of producing material that frightens them.

“Talking about ‘decimation’ on the back of a single person’s report is cynical and harmful, and it’s not how good decisions are made,” she said. Asked whether the NBLs were

unachievable, Prickett said such decisions and questions should be worked on by the scientific community.

“That’s how we make sound decisions and get meaningful answers.”

In response, BLNZ’s environmental policy manager, Paul le Miere, said the report by Torlesse Environmental had input from scientists and research from entities such as Our Land and Water.

Talking about ‘decimation’ on the back of a single person’s report is cynical and harmful.

Marnie Prickett University of Otago

He said several regional councils are using current minimum sediment and E coli water quality standards in draft freshwater plans, which will have significant implications.

Wellington and Northland are proposing to retire grazing on Class 7 and 8 land and slopes greater than 25 degrees, and Otago and Bay of Plenty plans will exclude sheep and cattle

from waterways and require 10m setbacks.

“The impact is hundreds of millions of dollars in each region,”

Le Miere said.

“It’s a lot of wasted time and effort notifying these plans when the government is going to review them in the next year to 18 months.”

The report commissioned by BLNZ calculated that meeting current freshwater NBLs would cost the NZ economy $3.9 billion a year in lower exports plus the impact of closed business and rural communities.

The additional cost of planting and fencing to meet these standards was estimated at $1.4bn.

Prickett said the report reflects siloed thinking.

“BLNZ should widen their research base to develop a strategy that supports sheep and beef farmers find their way forward in the restoration of catchments while changes in the climate put increasing pressure on farm systems, other sectors vie for allocation in a limited world, and markets change,” she said.

The report said that even if agriculture were removed and catchments returned to their natural state, 38% of the country’s

rivers would still not meet national sediment standards.

It also noted challenges meeting year-round E coli concentrations, but Prickett said that it is not a reason not to regulate or manage the bacteria.

The study estimated 44% of sheep and beef farmland would have to be retired if NBLs for fine sediment were enforced, along with other extensive mitigations,

“Even if these measures were taken, around 50% of the catchments currently below the NBLs would remain below them,” the report said.

BACKING

AWAY: Otago

researcher Marnie Prickett Prickett pointed out that seven years ago BLNZ and other farming groups pledged to make New Zealand rivers swimmable, but she says they appear to be now backing away from that commitment.

It quoted published literature that around 20% of waterways still in their natural state, for example National Parks, do not currently meet suspended fine sediment NBLs.

Prickett noted that in 2017 BLNZ along with other farming groups pledged to make NZ rivers swimmable, and said they appear to be now backing away from that commitment.

Le Miere said that commitment still stands but current bottom lines make it difficult to achieve while staying economically viable.

Up to 100 jobs poised to be slashed at Oamaru Meats

Neal Wallace PEOPLE Food & fibre

UP TO 100 staff could lose their jobs at North Otago meat processing plant BX Foods, also known as Oamaru Meats.

The sheep, beef, veal and goat processor employs about 300 people but the proposal could see up to a third of them made redundant due to falling

throughput reflecting the nationwide trend of declining livestock numbers.

“They are having to downsize to get the plant back to being a more economic unit,” said New Zealand Meat Workers Union national secretary Daryl Curran.

He said a significant number of staff are migrants employed under Recognised Seasonal Employer Visa scheme. Some have worked there for several years.

BX Foods is wholly owned by NZ Binxi (Oamaru) Foods with its ultimate owner being Heilongjiang Binxi Cattle Industry Co Ltd in Harbin, China.

NZ Binxi also owns 19.84% of Blue Sky Meats, which operates an ovine processing plant in Southland.

Curran said the primary reason for the restructuring at the Oamaru plant is the reduction in stock numbers and the tough

competition among processors for those that remain.

He fears these may not be the last job losses in an industry where all processors are grappling with falling stock numbers as farmers react to low profitability by changing land use or stock class.

“I don’t see anybody increasing breeding numbers,” he said.

Alliance Group’s Pukeuri works is just north of Oamaru and

Curran said some of those made redundant could get work there. He said the Oamaru plant was recently extensively renovated and described it as virtually brand new.

A restructuring package will be offered to staff on Wednesday after which they will have two weeks to respond.

NZ Binxi was approached for comment but none was received by the time of going to press.

IMPACT: Dams are appraised by the local council and put into one of three classifications – low, medium or high impact.

Vital dam safety comes onstream says MBIE

Bryan Gibson NEWS Regulation

ENSURING dams are safe and compliant is vital for farm business resilience and the safety of the wider catchment, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment says.

Farming groups have chafed at updated regulations that will see more dams subject to monitoring and compliance.

Dam owners have until August 13 to submit an engineer’s certificate to their local council.

These are appraised by the council and put into one of three classifications – low, medium or high impact.

Low-impact dams require no further work but a new certificate is needed every five years.

The other two classifications require dam safety assurance plans to be written, which include emergency action plans, plans for how owners inspect the dam and how they will remediate defects and deficiencies in the dam.

Tim Farrant, MBIE building engineering manager, said about 1100 dams are subject to the regulations and progress on submitting certificates is good, with almost half filed already.

He said the regulations play a vital role in ensuring the safety of the wider community and

dams are classified according to the impact they could have downstream.

“If you had a large dam that was upstream of a major township or something like that, then that would be a trigger for it being medium or high classification, depending on what the risk to those downstream properties would be.

“If it was a rural dam that was in an environment close to a large river, then it would be a low impact because it would have a low potential consequence downstream.

“So it’s all about what is downstream of those environments. If you’re in a very remote rural area, odds are that it’s going to be low impact. If it’s upstream of a major township, you’re probably looking at a higher risk.”

MBIE estimates put the cost of certification at $3000-6000.

Simon Thomas, head of building system delivery and assurance, said the MBIE will be taking a measured approach to enforcement if dam owners don’t submit certification by August 13.

It will “continue to provide an educational and advice-based approach. But equally, if over time there are people who are blatantly not complying with the regulations, we’re expecting to take any action as required.”

Thomas said it’s important to remember the regulations play a vital role in protecting people and infrastructure.

Climate commission warning as ag lags

GREENHOUSE gas emissions have fallen every year since 2019, but a new monitoring report warns greater effort is needed from agriculture and transport if we are to meet future budgets.

A Climate Change Commission monitoring report reveals the country’s gross emissions fell 4.2% between 2021-2022, having fallen on average 2.5% each year since 2019.

It concludes that New Zealand is on track to meet its 2025 emissions target with agricultural sector emissions falling 2.7% from 42.9Mt/CO2 in 2020 to 41.7Mt/ CO2 in 2022. They peaked at 43.3Mt/CO2 in 2014.

Biogenic methane emissions fell 1.6% from 2019 to 2022.

Gross emissions fell in every sector from 2021-22 with threequarters of that decline coming from energy and industry, but an estimated 94% of that reduction was due to factors outside government control.

The commission attributes the decline in agricultural emissions to land use changing from livestock to forestry, less use of nitrogen fertiliser and a high uptake of urease inhibitors.

The country’s overall emissions reduction was due to government policy, the adoption of low emissions technology such as renewable energy generation, converting boilers to biomass and electricity, more electric and hybrid vehicles, and forestry planting.

“These emissions reductions largely rely on variable factors that could change in any year, for example high rainfall which supported higher hydroelectricity generation and less power generation from coal and gas.

“The rate of emissions reductions seen in 2022 is

to the sector not being included in the Emissions Trading Scheme, the failure of He Waka Eke Noa and delays in implementing a price on emissions.

delays in implementing a price on emissions.

Additional forest planting can no longer make much difference to this period.

Monitoring report Climate Change Commission

therefore unlikely to continue.”

It warns insufficient action to reduce emissions from the agricultural and transport sector put at risk targets for the second and third emissions budgets and the 2030 biogenic methane target.

“If there are insufficient reductions in gross emissions for the second emissions budget, 2026-2030, this cannot be made up by increased removals of carbon dioxide through forestry.

“Additional forest planting can no longer make much difference to this period, because the rates of increase of carbon removal through trees is slow in the early stages of new plantings.”

The commission warns agricultural emissions may not fall as rapidly due to the sector not being included in the NZ Emissions Trading Scheme, the failure of He Waka Eke Noa and

“The absence of a confirmed emissions pricing system or alternative policy measures that will incentivise reductions in agricultural emissions creates a risk of the country not being on track to meet the second emissions budget (2026-2030) and third emissions budget (2031-2035) and the biogenic methane components of the 2050 target.”

It also warns of a lack of clarity in government plans to manage the impact of emission reduction policy.

The commission says for NZ to achieve its emissions budgets and meet the 2050 target, a welldesigned policy package that can deliver cost-effective and durable climate action is needed.

“The areas that could have the biggest impact for driving down emissions are in decarbonising electricity supply, decarbonising industry, reducing on-farm emissions, adopting low- and zeroemissions vehicles, and land use change to forestry,” said Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr.

“Together, these could deliver around three-quarters of what’s needed for the second and third emissions budget.”

Neal Wallace NEWS Emissions

WARNING: The commission warns agricultural emissions may not fall as rapidly due

New virtual rural health centre launched

Annette Scott NEWS Health

ANEW virtual centre for rural health will consolidate the University of Otago’s rural health offerings, cementing its place as a leader in rural health education and research.

Launched at an event in Ashburton, the virtual centre brings the highly dispersed rural staff and students of the Department of General Practice and Rural Health and the Rural Health Academic Centre, Ashburton, under one umbrella.

Centre director Professor Garry Nixon is excited by the opportunities the centre will bring to strengthen the rural health workforce.

“Rural health programmes have been taught at Otago for about 20 years. We are the pioneers and national leaders in rural health medical education and research.

“Part of our success is thanks to our large geographic footprint, with staff and students living and working in communities across New Zealand.

“It is fantastic to be able to unify everyone under one entity,” Nixon said.

The current rural section of the Department of General

RARE: Ashburton Hospital senior doctor Chris Hill says the vision of the Ashburton community has been ‘quite rare’.

Practice and Rural Health has 46 staff, who straddle clinical and academic roles, based in 21 rural communities from the Hokianga to Balclutha.

Undergraduate students are undertaking their studies at rural sites between Wairoa and Queenstown.

“Otago is lucky to have the support of so many rural communities and we see this development as a natural evolution of the partnerships we have.

“Not only will a dedicated centre make it easier for us to support our rurally based students, teachers

INTEGRATION: Acting Dean of Otago Medical School Professor Tim Wilkinson says integration is needed in rural NZ to ensure good health outcomes for all communities.

and researchers, it will make us more visible, and it will be easier for us to engage with rural communities.”

The centre will function as the university’s rural health unit, with the primary purpose of supporting teaching and research across rural New Zealand.

Nixon, a rural doctor at Dunstan Hospital in Clyde and professor in rural health, will oversee the virtual centre.

The centre brings into its fold the university’s rural postgraduate

and continuing medical education programmes, the Rural Medical Immersion Programme (RMIP), Clinician-Performed Ultrasound Programme, rural research network, and Rural Health Academic Centre Ashburton (RHACA).

RHACA is a collaboration between the University of Otago, Health NZ|Te Whatu Ora, and Advance Ashburton Community Foundation.

Based in Ashburton Hospital, it is a hub for inter-professional rural health training and research.

It includes the Rural Interprofessional Simulation Course (RiSC), many rural postgraduate programme papers, as well as the students and trainees from a range of health professional groups undertaking placements at Ashburton Hospital.

Ashburton Hospital senior doctor Chris Hill said the vision of the Ashburton community is “quite rare”.

“We have been given the head space to allow this to happen.

“Funding from the community has been key in building a great suite where teams from right across NZ can come together to practice and educate, raising the academic discipline and interconnecting rural health across the country.”

A memorandum of

understanding has been signed between the three parties with $645,000, over three years, donated by Advance Ashburton and the Mackenzie Charitable Foundation to help support academic posts and student training within RHACA.

Acting Dean of Otago Medical School Professor Tim Wilkinson said concerns about the sustainability of the rural healthcare workforce have been raised for several decades, both internationally and in NZ.

He said students who enter the virtual learning and training programme are five times more likely to enter rural health practice.

“We’ve got a declining rural health workforce, yet face increasing rural healthcare needs.

“Integration is needed in rural NZ to ensure good health outcomes for all communities.

“Success comes back to the people, both past and ongoing, of Advance Ashburton and the Mackenzie Charitable Foundation.”

Health NZ’s national clinical director for primary and community care Sarah Clarke said the launch of the university’s new Centre for Rural Health is an exciting opportunity to grow partnerships as RHACA joins a collective programme of rural health development and delivery.

If your dam is impacted, submit your dam classification certificate to your Regional Authority by 13 August 2024.

To comply by 13 August 2024 you need to:

ȓ Determine your dam’s Potential Impact Classification (PIC) and work with a Recognised Engineer who’ll audit and certify the PIC

– Use the checklist at www.building.govt.nz/dam-safety to help determine your dam’s PIC

– Find a Recognised Engineer

ȓ Submit your dam classification certificate to your Regional Authority

We’ve got resources to help you comply by 13 August 2024 www.building.govt.nz/dam-safety

Find a Recognised Engineer www.engineeringnz.org/engineer-tools/ recognised-engineer-dam-safety

DINZ steadies with top posts filled

Annette Scott NEWS Governance

AFTER several months of operation under interim leaders, Deer Industry New Zealand has named a new chair and new chief executive.

Paddy Boyd will be chair, replacing Gerard Hickey, who has been interim chair since the departure of Mandy Bell in June.

The board has confirmed DINZ interim chief executive Rhys Griffiths as the permanent appointment to this position. Both roles are effective immediately, with Hickey returning to his role as deputy chair. Boyd and Griffiths are long time stalwarts of the deer industry.

Boyd has served as a board member on the DINZ board since 2023 and has held several industry governance roles over the years. He currently sits on the National Velvetting Standards Body, as well as the project steering group as the farmer representative on the newly minted North American (venison) Retail Accelerator Programme.

Griffiths has been 16 years in the industry, starting out as DINZ velvet marketing services manager in 2008 before taking over the markets manager role in 2015.

“I am honoured that the board has seen fit to make my position as DINZ chief executive permanent,” Griffiths said.

“Anyone that knows me, knows how passionate I am about the deer industry and positioning us for the best chance for future success.

“I’m also very grateful for the team I have at DINZ, who have really pulled together over the last couple of months to help as I wore two hats.”

Griffiths said DINZ is well placed now to launch into a new era of sorts for the industry, based on its revised strategy.

“I’m keen to get out there with our awesome team and meet with our stakeholders as we take the strategy out for consultation.

“I’m looking forward to hearing their voices as we move forward.”

On Boyd’s naming as board chair, Griffiths said “Paddy has a lot of mana in the industry.”

“He brings a lifetime of both deer industry experience and farmer advocacy at a governance level.

“The DINZ team and I look forward to working with Paddy as we move into an exciting time for the NZ deer industry.”

In addition to his governance roles, Boyd has managed Haldon Station in the Mackenzie Basin, South Canterbury for 42 years, and has worked for the current owners, the Klisser family, since 1991. Since 1997 he has owned and farmed a deer farm at Pleasant Point with his wife, Barbara.

He was part of the deer industry’s very early days, participating in the live capture of feral deer to be used in farming and is a lifetime member of the NZ Deer Farmers Association (NZDFA).

“I have always been a strong believer in having the farmer voice represented at the highest levels of industry and decisionmaking,” Boyd said.

“Our farmers form the backbone of our industry but many shy away from speaking up at events.

“If I can represent their voices at the table while moving the industry forward and setting us up for a strong future, I will have done my job.”

Boyd won the industry’s Deer Farmer of the Year award in 2014 and Haldon Station won the Canterbury Farm Environment Awards supreme award in 2005.

SERVICE: Paddy Boyd has served as a board member on the DINZ board since 2023 and has held several industry governance roles over the years.

CAREER: Rhys Griffiths has been 16 years in the industry, starting out as DINZ velvet marketing services manager in 2008 before taking over the markets manager role in 2015.

ECLIPSE® and MATRIX® are right at home in engineered to deliver

Just like this oilskin vest - they stand the test of time when you need them most

Bremworth spends big on wool adverts

THE New Zealand wool industry is set to shear benefit from what is believed to be one of the highest strong wool industry marketing investments ever.

The $2 million-plus marketing investment by one of the country’s largest wool carpet manufacturers, Bremworth, is designed to address misconceptions about the natural fibre and grow exports.

NZ is the world’s third largest producer of wool, accounting for 9% of global production.

However, the country’s export revenue from wool is projected to fall by 3% to $380 million over the coming year, according to Bremworth.

The planned advertising investment from Bremworth is believed to be among the highest ever from a Kiwi company to support a wool product brand.

The company has appointed NZ’s largest independent media agency, Together, to help develop and implement a series of new campaigns for the domestic and trans-Tasman markets to help elevate wool flooring.

The move follows ongoing upgrades to the manufacturer’s supply chain, which are expected

to lift production volumes and help meet growing domestic and global demand for Bremworth’s wool carpet.

Bremworth chief brand and product officer Rochelle Flint said it is hoped one of their largestever investments in developing their brand will also help stimulate demand for NZ wool and help address the decline in domestic production.

Bremworth research shows that while three-quarters of

homeowners would prefer to have wool in their homes, a similar proportion are not actually purchasing wool, with synthetic flooring continuing to dominate the market.

Flint said with their expanded supply chain now in place, manufacturing volumes can be scaled significantly in response to demand, presenting an opportunity to increase conversion and grow market share in both the domestic and Australian markets.

“Our research has identified a segment of homeowners that don’t put as much focus on the flooring as they do in rooms like their kitchen or bathroom.

“They may spend thousands on a benchtop but when it comes to carpet, it doesn’t enjoy the same prestige.

“This new campaign is about elevating wool as a flooring option and becoming part of the consideration set for more consumers and growing wool carpet’s market share through greater conversion at the retail level.

“We want this audience to understand that you live your life on carpet and it is an architectural surface worthy of much more attention.”

A large part of the campaign messaging will be dedicated to addressing misconceptions about wool that are part of the barrier to purchasing wool.

Included among these myths are that it’s not suitable for kids, it doesn’t last as long, and is hard to care for.

“Generations of Kiwis have lived on wool flooring and it has performed extremely well. However, there is a younger generation becoming homeowners now that have never experienced the quality and longevity of wool.

“This natural insulating fibre is incredibly durable and has a natural stain resistance, which is how sheep stay white on the farm. However, despite living in a nation globally renowned for the calibre of wool production, there is an emerging segment of the market that we have yet to reach with these messages.

They may spend thousands on a benchtop but when it comes to carpet, it doesn’t enjoy the same prestige.

Rochelle Flint Bremworth

“This campaign will be about raising awareness and educating these consumers on the benefits of this natural fibre,” Flint said. Together’s managing director of media Penelope Brown said the latest evolution of Bremworth’s brand strategy will reach hundreds of thousands of homeowners and design influencers over the coming year.

The first of the new campaigns will launch in August, introducing new messaging inspiring consumers to emotively engage with NZ wool across out-of-home, TV, print and digital mediums.

Wools of NZ signs China deal

Huang of Yangxin Ruixin in Christchurch.

China while exporting under the Ruixin brand.

WOOLS of New Zealand has signed up to a brand use agreement with leading Chinese manufacturer Yangxin Ruixin.

The agreement will enable Yangxin Ruixin to use the WoolsNZ logo on products that contain at least 60% WoolsNZsupplied fibre.

WoolsNZ chief executive John McWhirter said connecting the NZ wool story through brand alliance will expand the reach to international consumers and help protect the NZ wool brand.

WoolsNZ already has an extensive trade partner network internationally, but this is the first arrangement the farmer-owned company has entered into with a Chinese manufacturer to produce branded products.

The agreement was signed by McWhirter and Jimmy

“We already work with a NZ exporter to China and supply a yarn spinner who sells our farmers’ product into a range of companies in the Chinese market,” McWhirter said.

“However, this is our first agreement with a Chinese company producing branded products.

“Yangxin Ruixin will be able to use the WoolsNZ logo on their products that contain at least 60% WoolsNZ-supplied fibre.

“This is adding to the growing list of our partners taking the NZ wool story to international consumers.”

Yangxin Ruixin and the Chinese Embassy approached WoolsNZ to discuss establishing the branding agreement when Huang was in NZ as part of a visiting Chinese delegation. Established in 1998, the Shandong-based Chinese company sells its products under the Silktouch brand in

It produces a range of carpets and rugs for the commercial, hospitality and residential markets and, with 3000 employees, operates the largest handtufted factory in China.

McWhirter said an advantage of the agreement is the ability of Yangxin Ruixin to monitor any Chinese manufacturers falsely claiming to be using Wools of NZ wool.

“Counterfeit wool claiming to be NZ wool does get sold.

“We have taken action in the past against companies using our logo without permission. However, it is hard for us to police that in China, so it is very good to have a partner and eyes in the market there.

“Working with Yangxin Ruixin means they have a brand-authenticated product and an interest in protecting the brand,” McWhirter said.

Annette Scott MARKETS Food and fibre

Annette Scott MARKETS Food and fibre

INVESTMENT: Bremworth’s planned investment of more than $2m in advertising is believed to among the highest ever from a Kiwi company to support a wool product brand.

DEAL: Jimmy Huang, of Yangxin Ruixin, front left, and Wools of New Zealand chief executive John McWhirter sign a brand use agreement.

From the Editor

Some positive news about wool

Craig Page Deputy editor

THERE has been plenty of talk about the New Zealand wool industry in recent years, most if it painting a fairly negative outlook. So it was pleasing to last week hear of some positive steps being taken to promote the under-siege product, both here and overseas.

It started with wool carpet manufacturer Bremworth announcing it was launching a $2 million-plus marketing campaign, designed to address misconceptions about wool but, more importantly, grow exports.

NZ is the world’s third largest producer of wool, accounting for 9% of global production, but, according to Bremworth, the country’s export revenue from wool is projected to fall by 3% to $380 million over the coming year.

A series of new campaigns will be created for local and Australian markets to help lift woollen carpet’s profile.

Bremworth chief brand and product officer Rochelle Flint hopes the marketing investment will help stimulate demand for NZ wool and address the decline in domestic production.

It is interesting to note that research by Bremworth shows that despite threequarters of homeowners saying they would prefer to have wool in their homes, they aren’t buying the product, instead opting for synthetic products, which continue to dominate the market.

The Bremworth announcement comes as Wools of New Zealand confirmed it has signed an agreement with leading Chinese rug and carpet manufacturer Yangxin Ruixin Group for the company to use Wools of New Zealand branding on its products.

It is the first time the farmer-owned company has reached a deal with a Chinese manufacturer to produce branded products.

Yangxin Ruixin can now use the Wools of New Zealand logo on its products that contain at least 60% Wools of New Zealandsupplied fibre.

The company is located in the Shandong province and produces a range of types of carpets and rugs for the commercial, hospitality and residential markets. It operates the largest hand-tufted factory in China, with 3000 employees.

Wools of New Zealand chief executive John McWhirter said an advantage of the agreement is the ability of Yangxin Ruixin to monitor any Chinese manufacturers falsely

claiming to be using Wools of New Zealand wool.

“This is adding to the growing list of Wools of New Zealand partners taking the New Zealand wool story to international consumers.”

And to top off the week there was news that two new wool classing tutors have been appointed at the Southern Institute of Technology. There were fears there may no longer be formal training available in wool classing following the retirement of two long-serving tutors.

A series of new campaigns will be created for local and Australian markets to help lift woollen carpet’s profile.

Rebecca Braddick and Emma O’Sullivan, who both found their love of wool growing up on family farms, will tutor the NZ Certificate in Wool Technology and Classing (Level 4), the country’s only wool classing programme.

These announcements are unlikely to initially change much for the everyday sheep farmer, but they do show there is still passion and belief in the industry. It is going to take hard work and drive to keep wool in the spotlight, but, thankfully, there are plenty of people who think it is worth the effort.

SERIOUS INCINERATORS

Letters of the week

‘Gold standard’ has plenty to do

John Hellstrom ONZM Endeavour Inlet

THERE was much in N Wagener’s letter, “Put away petition on live exports” (July 29), that I strongly disagree with, but rather than debate whether the trade is good or bad for New Zealand’s reputation or for animal welfare, I would like to focus on where we appear to have common ground.

Almost everyone who supports the reopening of the trade appears to share my view that the previous standards weren’t good enough. So there is much talk about a “gold standard” that will ensure the welfare of these animals. What do we think such a gold standard should include?

A good starting point would be the five conditions that are established in the New Zealand Animal Welfare Act of 1999. These five conditions require that animals be fed and watered adequately, be provided with reasonable housing, receive rapid and effective treatment for injuries or disease, be able to express normal behaviours and not be subjected to unreasonable or unnecessary pain and distress.

There are some problems with achieving these requirements during the shipment of animals on long ocean voyages.

For example, feed needs to be tightly managed at sea, leading to competition for access to feeding troughs. The pens on most ships don’t have enough trough space for all animals to feed at the same time. Some thrive, some don’t.

Providing sufficient space and a reasonable surface for all animals to lie down is also a challenge, particularly later in the voyage. High temperatures and humidity lead to the build-up of what, in the trade, is referred to as faecal slurry. In the latter part of most voyages cows are forced to lie down in their own dung, which can be several inches deep across their whole pen.

Ensuring good physical health is also sometimes a problem. Hooves softened after days of standing in the faecal slurry are more prone to injuries, leading to lameness. Ventilation varies throughout the ships and can lead to some animals getting severe heat stress. Humidity is always high. Note that there is not a single destination to which New Zealand exports cattle that doesn’t involve crossing the Equator.

As Mr Wagener observes, “transparency by all sides is paramount”. As Mr Heron QC observed in his published report on the sinking of the Gulf Express, the Ministry for Primary Industries has done a dismal job of overseeing the reporting from these voyages.

Reports from vets are not available, lack

Continued next page

Scraper

Charcoal maker Spark arrestor & ash guard

In my view ...

China is growing a lot greener than we think

Cleo Gilmour

Gilmour is a member of the New Zealand China Council and chairs its sustainable food working group. She co-founded food tech company LILO Desserts, and currently works in the Impact team at KPMG.

WHEN we think about “sustainable” and China, the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter is often perceived as the opposite. This attitude is dangerous for New Zealand exporters, who risk remaining ignorant of the rapid pace at which China is implementing sustainable policy and business changes.

New Zealand must keep abreast of policy signals to be able to meet the evolving needs and requirements of our largest export market.

China is doing a lot more in sustainability than we think. Before taking the top job in 2011, President Xi Jinping had published 11 articles on “ecological civilisations” and how to develop the economy whilst maintaining the environment.

The development of ecological civilisations has been a focus of Xi’s China ever since.

China is now the leading global manufacturer of electric vehicles. In 2023 China added more solar power to its national grid than all other nations on the planet put together.

The connection that Chinese consumers have between the health of the planet and their family and personal health should not be underestimated – China has felt first hand the impact of pollution on its cities, waterways, and people.

Agriculture is lower on China’s decarbonisation food chain, but the pace of progress could

leapfrog New Zealand.

Beijing’s immediate focus is on decarbonising the energy, transport, and manufacturing sectors, but policy in the agricultural sector is also on its way. China is already running carbon reduction pilots with large scale farmers in the north-eastern provinces.

The government has also mandated nationwide emissions data collection from large-scale farming operations. Analysing and collecting data will be at the centre of China’s decarbonisation strategy.

If this initiative is successful, some researchers believe we could see China implement nation-wide agricultural carbon-reduction targets within the next five years.

China is already running carbon reduction pilots with large scale farmers in the northeastern provinces.

Despite being 10 years behind the “Net Zero by 2050” targets adopted internationally, our largest trading partner is demonstrating how to have a data-informed, tested, and ambitious decarbonisation strategy.

Indeed, many believe that China will be the only country to meet its climate goals.

Government policy will drive consumer expectations for sustainable products. As China tightens up on its own decarbonisation, New Zealand exporters will face increased pressure from both regulators and consumers to meet or exceed emissions reductions and sustainability claims.

The focus on sustainability policy is having a direct impact

on local business innovation and marketing efforts. Yili has already created China’s first carbon-neutral milk and yoghurt, and high-end grocery retailers such as Ole Supermarket are promoting choices that offer lower carbon emissions and organically produced food.

“Sustainability” itself is not yet a purchase driver for most consumers, but the connection between sustainability and food quality and safety is growing.

New Zealand has a natural advantage in feeding people “well”. Other policies, such as the Healthy China 2030 policy, reflect the pressure on Beijing to feed people “well” not just “full”.

Urbanisation and changing diets have led to diabetes skyrocketing. Being overweight or obese is a concern for around half of China’s population. The Healthy China Policy is encouraging dietary changes such as reducing pork consumption and increasing the consumption of protein-rich lean meats.

Despite the seemingly endless availability of things to eat, China still faces huge challenges with food security. China feeds approximately 17% of the world’s population with only 7% of the world’s arable land.

The pressure on farmers and land shows, with China using roughly four times the global average levels of pesticides. New Zealand’s advantage here is obvious: people will still want a piece of “natural” Aotearoa –but only if our “pure”, “clean” messaging is backed up by databased sustainability credentials.

China eats through New Zealand’s annual meat production in less than a week. A growing middle class is an opportunity for New Zealand exporters but an opportunity we risk being blinded by if we only consider

our own interests in the trading relationship.

China’s lack of arable land and drive to be self-sufficient raise huge questions for how Beijing will feed its people.

Anyone who has been to China in the past 10 years can see that technology will be at the heart of China’s sustainable transformation and middle-class development.

This leaves a rather large (possibly cell-grown) elephant in the room in the conversation around future proteins. Asked asked about novel proteins, the message from Chinese state-owned enterprises and government departments was clear: China has a lot of research and technology ready to release when the market is ready.

Given the government’s ability

to influence and subsidise the creation of new markets (China spent roughly $173 billion in subsidies for the EV sector from 2009-2022), the concept of “market readiness” could be heavily government-driven. China has wowed the world in its uptake of mobile payments, EV production and rapid technological development. In the next two to three decades, we are likely to see similar leaps and bounds in sustainability and food technologies.

New Zealand already has an abundance of natural advantages as a producer of safe, quality food. Embracing sustainable progress in our food systems will strengthen New Zealand’s ability to meet the needs of regulators and consumers and stay close to developments in novel food technologies.

Farmers Weekly is published by GlobalHQ, PO Box 529, Feilding 4740. New Zealand Phone: 0800 85 25 80 Website: www.farmersweekly.co.nz

ADVERTISING

EDITORIAL

detail or may have been influenced by their employers, the exporting companies. Some of these vets made submissions to the Select Committee that considered the proposed ban in 2022. Some said the on-board conditions were okay, some said they weren’t. So the so-called gold standard has a lot to achieve. Aside from the increased feed and space requirements that arise from the latest research, all animals should be able to feed at the same time, have constant access to clean drinking water and be able to lie down on a surface that is relatively clean and non-abrasive.

EDITOR Bryan Gibson 06 323 1519 bryan.gibson@globalhq.co.nz

Health and pen conditions should be monitored every day and sick or injured animals removed to hospital pens. Pens should be kept clean. Allowing for normal behaviours and avoiding unnecessary pain or distress is also challenging in a hot, noisy, steel box that keeps rolling from side to side for up to four weeks.

Carmelita Mentor-Fredericks editorial@globalhq.co.nz Neal Wallace 03 474 9240 neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz Colin Williscroft 027 298 6127 colin.williscroft@globalhq.co.nz

Annette Scott 021 908 400 annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz

Hugh Stringleman 09 432 8594 hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz

Gerald Piddock 027 486 8346 gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz

Richard Rennie 07 552 6176 richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz Nigel Stirling 021 136 5570 nigel.g.stirling@gmail.com

will actually achieve the outcomes required by the Act. Society and most of the farmers and vets that I know will expect nothing less. And we haven’t even touched upon how to ensure the good post-arrival welfare that minister Hoggard is promising.

Andy Whitson 027 626 2269

New Media & Business Development Lead andy.whitson@globalhq.co.nz

However, the critical requirement is for credible reporting and compliance with these standards. This can only be achieved if the vets on these voyages are employed or contracted by the MPI, required to provide authoritative daily reports on health and pen conditions, not just mortality, and have the authority to direct.

PUBLISHER Dean Williamson 027 323 9407 dean.williamson@globalhq.co.nz

Steve McLaren 027 205 1456

Auckland/Northland Partnership Manager steve.mclaren@globalhq.co.nz

However, there is a deeper concern.

ISSN 2463-6002 (Print) ISSN 2463-6010 (Online)

Debbie Brown 06 323 0765

Noticeboard/Word Only/Primary Pathways classifieds@globalhq.co.nz

Much more than Tb at risk

Jody Anderson 027 474 6094

Richard

Waikato/Bay of Plenty Partnership Manager jody.anderson@globalhq.co.nz

Alspach

Dargaville

Donna Hirst 027 474 6095

Lower North Island/international Partnership Manager donna.hirst@globalhq.co.nz

Grant Marshall 027 887 5568

South Island and AgriHQ Partnership Manager grant.marshall@globalhq.co.nz

It will be interesting to see how willing the industry is to adopt and transparently demonstrate compliance with standards that

Javier Roca 06 323 0761

Livestock Partnership Manager 027 602 4925 livestock@globalhq.co.nz

Grant Marshall 027 887 5568

Real Estate Partnership Manager realestate@globalhq.co.nz

Andrea Mansfield 027 446 6002

Part of the rationale for MAF Qual (the forerunner of AsureQuality) wanting to continue with Tb testing in the early 1990s was that it gave it a “standing army” to mobilise promptly in the event of exotic disease.

Best letter each week wins a quality Victorinox

It, for instance, conducted a number of exercises practising for a possible outbreak of foot and mouth.

Salesforce director andrea.mansfield@globalhq.co.nz

PRODUCTION Lana Kieselbach 027 739 4295 production@globalhq.co.nz

THE news that Asure Quality is to pull out of Tb testing is not really surprising, given all the emphasis on cost-cutting in government departments. I am sure that OSPRI will be able to put together a structure that will ensure the integrity of Tb testing.

Advertising material adcopy@globalhq.co.nz

SUBSCRIPTIONS 0800 85 25 80 subs@globalhq.co.nz

It is a question that needs to be answered at ministerial level as well as operational level. Letters

If it is no longer going to be Tb testing, it is in effect disbanding this “standing army”. What will stand in its stead?

The farming industry, indeed the nation, needs assurance that this move out of Tb testing will not jeopardise our frontline defence against exotic disease incursion.

farmers.weekly@agrihq.co.nz of theWeek

GREEN STUDIES: Before taking the top job in 2011, China’s President Xi Jinping had published 11 articles on ‘ecological civilisations’ and how to develop the economy while maintaining the environment.

A debate that’s more fiction than fact

Alternative

view

Alan Emerson

Semi-retired Wairarapa farmer and businessman: dath.emerson@gmail.com

FARMING today needs chemicals, be they for animal health, disease and worm control or in fertiliser. The problem is that when it comes to agricultural chemicals the debate seems more about fiction than fact.

There’s the reputable science, which seems to come behind emotive tirades from the likes of Greenpeace and SAFE. Then there are the lawyers who see an easy buck and do what they can to exploit that prejudice by fair means or foul.

For example, we’ve all read dozens of stories about the evils of glyphosate. It seems that there was no limit to the damage exposure to the chemical could do.

Until last week we kept hearing glyphosate caused cancer. Now we have scientific proof it doesn’t.

It’s big business in the US and elsewhere, with lawyers making a fortune out of class actions.

In New Zealand the Environmental Protection Authority tells us that “glyphosate is a hazardous substance and is regulated”.

For the record, on November 23 last year the European Commission approved the use of glyphosate across the European Union for another decade. It said “there is a complete lack of evidence to prove it’s cancerous”. I’d agree, but recently there was a court case in the United States over a product very similar to glyphosate causing Parkinson’s Disease.

The reality is that if it was proved the compensation would be in billions of dollars, not millions. One such court case involving Bayer cost the company $11 billion for the presumption that glyphosate caused cancer. As we know it doesn’t.

It’s big business in the US and elsewhere, with lawyers making a fortune out of class actions. The process is described as predatort. The playbook has four steps: pay scientists to create your evidence, pay activists to create public outrage, create drama on the court room stage and collect US$200

million. That all sounds familiar.

In the recent case in the US a team of lawyers fronted up to prove that paraquat, a rival product of glyphosate, caused Parkinson’s.

They had an “expert witness”, a Professor Martin Wells from prestigious Cornell University. They formed an Environmental Working Group to expose the problem.

Headlines mysteriously appeared claiming “we all know what causes Parkinson’s and these companies will have to pay for it”.

Predictably, the manufacturers fronted up in court.

The “expert witness”, Wells, claimed that “occupational exposure to paraquat can cause Parkinsons disease”.

Surprisingly, given past experience, the judge decided to question the so-called science.

She suggested that Wells only presented data to support his conclusion and that the research wasn’t credible, and that the evidence lacked scientific rigour.

That the criteria for occupational exposure had not been met.

She added that the claim that occupational exposure to paraquat resulted in a “near tripling of Parkinson’s disease” was unproven.

The issue is that Wells was presumed to have been paid US$500 an hour for his “evidence”.

The case was thrown out, which was a victory for common sense. There was a judge who decided to question the science. Many don’t, which would, in itself, make manufacturers nervous.

The saga does, however, provide some valuable lessons for the primary sector.

The first is that a rumour or even a hint of problems with a chemical can immediately create a media frenzy.

The second is that there’s so much scientific “evidence” out there that claimants can cherry-pick.

Then comes the predictable nervousness of chemical companies about litigation and compensation.

Finally with venal lawyers and academics for hire you can claim anything.

All that sounds depressingly familiar.

We have similar issues in New Zealand with the most recent involving genetically modified ryegrass.

A recent article in Farmers Weekly by Dr Nick Roberts from AgResearch highlighted the problem. Roberts is a highly experienced scientist with considerable international experience. He knows what he’s talking about.

High Metabolisable Energy (HME) ryegrass is genetically modified causing an increase in fats.

That increase is predicted to reduce methane emissions. Ridiculously, in my view, outdoor research had to be developed in the United States courtesy of our outdated rules here.

Again recently in Farmers Weekly the president of GE Free NZ, Claire Bleakley, came out swinging.

For a start she claimed that the GE ryegrass trials in the US “were so poor they failed to yield enough dry matter for the animal feeding trial they aimed to conduct”. The fact was the yields were

as expected despite the climate difference between the US and here.

Bleakley added that the trials were a “commercial failure” and that “the plants were riddled with unknown diseases and failed to grow”.

Again, there’s no truth in the claims yet she received

considerable publicity. That in itself is a problem. Greenpeace, GE Free NZ, SAFE and a host of other groups can make any statements they like and receive extensive media coverage. It’s generally sympathetic and there’s no checking as to the veracity of the “facts” presented. That’s wrong.

Embracing our identity, roots and food culture

Seeds of tomorrow:

Perspectives from Future Farmers

UPON returning to New Zealand after a whirlwind agri-food trip in Europe, I’ve been reflecting on what I learnt and observed. The purpose of my trip, organised by Food HQ and sponsored by AGMARDT, was to expose young professionals in the agri-food sector to new and global food system perspectives. There has been much to unpack, but a key question lingering in my mind is: What is New Zealand’s food culture, and how does it

influence our food and fibre sector?

To me, our food culture and sector are connected in an ambiguous way, but why isn’t it more prominent? Food culture runs deeper than just cuisine. Culture is a way of life, and food and culture are closely linked, influencing each other. If we can strengthen this connection, it could benefit our farmers and producers and add value for both international and domestic consumers.

In the countries I visited, particularly Italy, there was a strong food culture. Food was a vital means of expressing identity, values, and history. Food was not only about eating but also about the rituals of making, serving and enjoying it. Why have a long Italian lunch enjoyed for hours in a large group? So you can really appreciate the food, its quality, and its origins.

Some food experiences, like visiting a cheese factory, might seem cliche or touristy, but the demand for these types of experiences is significant. People want to learn and understand more about the origins of their food.

I visited a producer of Parmigiano Reggiano, a legally protected aged cheese that can only be made in specific regions. Here, we learned about DOP (Protected Designation of Origin). Italy and other European countries

use this labelling and traceability system to preserve and protect regionally produced foods.

Another example is balsamic vinegar from Modena. DOP guarantees the product is high quality and made by local farmers using traditional methods. After this visit, I gained a new appreciation for artisan food.

If we want to capture more value from our food production, we must understand more about our own food culture.

What can we learn from this? It showcases how food provenance can add value to crops and livestock, and create alternative distribution channels for agrifood products. These insights are highly relevant for those operating and interested in growing New Zealand agritourism.

But I would also argue it’s relevant to the wider New Zealand food and fibre sector. Our relationship with food and how it links to our identity, values and history is an important conversation. If we want to capture more value from our food production, we must understand more about our own food culture. Indigenous knowledge can teach us a lot. We have it at

Continued next page

SPRAY: Agriculture today needs chemicals, says Alan Emerson.

Katie Henderson Henderson is a PhD candidate at the University of Auckland exploring social licence as it relates to the use of gene editing technologies in the agri-food chain.

Seems we’re always fencing with history

Eating the elephant

David Eade

David Eade is a Whanganui sheep and beef farmer with a finance background, specialising in investments within the primary sector. eating.the.elephant.nz@gmail.com

the team find a lesson in history for NZ Ag.

LEARNING the boundaries of a new farm is a strange feeling. A fence line separates otherwise identical land and defines my area of responsibility.

Nature doesn’t understand boundary fences, as evident by the bush and rivers that sprawl through these manmade features. Little to no economic value is assigned to these bush blocks and waterways when purchasing a new block, but the expectation to manage these areas is growing. These areas of native bush and water bodies could be considered

Continued from previous page

our doorstep, and we need to be willing to listen. We also have rich multicultural influences and an abundance of delicious local food and ingredients.

New Zealand farmers embody ingenuity, resilience, and stewardship. Can we find a way to

common assets as they are a shared resource for all New Zealanders.

The resulting effects of management, be that positive or negative, have a large impact on the wider community.

A simple example is water quality – many people value swimming in a clean river and drinking a healthy cup of water from the tap.

This situation sits in the long shadow cast by two seismic historical trends.

The first is the tragedy of the commons. This historical phenomenon occurs where individuals, acting in self-interest, overuse or deplete a shared resource to the detriment of the whole.

There are many historical examples related to agriculture.

In medieval Europe, individuals would opportunely graze communal pastures. This system worked until every villager had a sheep, leading to overgrazed land and reduced productivity.

The second stems from a period of British history known as the Enclosures, when common land, open to all local people for grazing animal and growing crops, was consolidated into individually owned farms.

One motivation for this move to privatisation was to allow for increased productivity through private investment in land. Landowners had a direct incentive to improve their property because they reaped the full benefits of doing so.

Centuries later, we are grappling

sell this to the world as a unified package rather than in silos?

As a food-exporting nation, let’s connect people to our food provenance, farming practices, and New Zealand food culture. This could be valuable because culture isn’t marketing. Instead, this culture is authentic and can then be communicated to the world

with the challenge of how to balance individual responsibility and property rights with the collective good that comes from sustainably managed common assets.

We trade on our clean, green image, boasting some of the most accessible natural attractions, and recreational fishing resources that many envy.

The nation’s shared resources – its waterways, native bush, and agricultural lands – are under increasing pressure from both rural and urban demands.

Close to half the land area of New Zealand is used for food and fibre production and this is split across roughly 50,000 farms.

Another one third is managed by the Department of Conservation, with the remaining 20% made up of other uses including urban areas.

Food producers manage their common areas with private funds and the Department of Conversation manages its area with under 1% of the government’s budget.

New Zealand also has an

using effective marketing. These marketing messages can appeal to the relationship people have with food in attempts to garner more appreciation of where food comes from.

Domestically, this might involve encouraging people to try more local, diverse, and Indigenous foods. It’s no secret we seem to export nutritionally dense food and import more highly processed foods.

Food festivals like Hokitika’s Wild Foods festival are also fantastic examples of celebrating and rediscovering the pleasure of eating.

For urban dwellers, community gardens where people can learn to grow their own food can foster a sense of ownership and more understanding of food production. Strengthening this type of food culture among our communities means it can permeate authentically into our food and fibre production but also contribute to creating a healthier population.

Kai brings people together, so how do we ignite a culture that values feeding ourselves well? This must be affordable too. Farmers,

increasing urban population. Slightly more than eight out of 10 people currently live on less than 20% of New Zealand’s land area and all future growth is expected to come from the same urban areas.

I remain hopeful for a market-driven solution that effectively aligns perceived demand with funding for those managing these shared resources.

The demands of our urban stakeholders cannot be lost as we meet the expectations of our international consumers, but expectations need to be rational given 80% of our natural resources are expected to be managed on a shoestring budget.

Modern solutions are required to solve these long-standing historical challenges. Some, such as catchment groups, are breaking new ground in managing common assets.

Others, like ecosystem services,

agri-businesses, the government and citizens all have a role to play in this.

What might this look like for New Zealand, and how can we be louder and prouder about our food culture? I think it’s waiting to be explored, redefined, and emphasised not only in our

SHARED RESPONSIBILITY: Boundary fences do not exist when it comes to managing common assets, says David Eade.

are still in their infancy. Both require philanthropy and public funding due to the gap between what people say and what they are willing to pay for managing common assets.

Despite this, I remain hopeful for a market-driven solution that effectively aligns perceived demand with funding for those managing these shared resources. Our boundary fences do not exist when it comes to managing common assets. Have a conversation with any food producer and you will see that they care about their land.

An unwritten rule for many is leaving the land in a better place than they found it, but farmers can’t be expected to shoulder the responsibility of managing these shared resources sustainably, particularly given contemporary financial and logistical burdens.

The right mix of regulation, education and incentives are required to finally break free of the “tragedy of the commons” and Enclosures scripts – and write something new.

markets but in the community as demand grows for these types of experiences.

For now, I invite you to take a step back from your busy, fastpaced life and really appreciate your next meal. I hope it’s slow, delicious and enjoyed with loved ones.

We’re keen to hear local stories about the innovators, inspirations and characters that keep our communities ticking over.

Farmers tell the best stories and we want to hear yours.

yourstory@agrihq.co.nz

In this series,

BIG CHEESE: Katie Henderson, a PhD candidate at the University of Auckland, completed a whirlwind agri-food trip to Europe, including visiting a producer of Parmigiano Reggiano in Italy.

A bridge builder for Brazilian agriculture

Andrea Verissimo wanted to be on hand when the sleeping giant of her country’s agricultural sector awoke. Richard Rennie reports.

NEW Zealand and Brazil may largely share the same hemisphere, but the scale and systems of New Zealand farming compared to Brazil’s mean they are often worlds apart.

However, for Brazilian-born Andrea Verissimo there is an unbreakable link between the two countries that account for the rural professional she is today.

As international affairs manager for the Brazilian Corn Ethanol Association, she brings a truly global understanding of agriculture to a role aimed at raising the profile of Brazil’s growing corn ethanol industry, an industry that barely existed seven years ago.

Part of that understanding comes from time she spent in New Zealand completing her Master’s degree in farm management at Lincoln University in 2000.

Having already acquired a degree in veterinary science, she said it could have been tempting to remain a vet in Brazil.

“It was interesting. When I came to New Zealand to do my Master’s people, they would say to me ‘Why would you want to learn anything more, you are already a vet, that’s such a great profession.’

“But being a vet was not regarded as highly in Brazil as it is in New Zealand. I realised I wanted to do something more in agriculture. I also wanted to become my own person beyond my family, my region.”

She was drawn to New Zealand, impressed by this country’s ability to produce high quality food with a focus on branding linked to NZ’s attributes.

“I was there when Zespri was

being created. I was impressed, they even took out IP on the colour green they used on the logo.

I don’t think back then Brazil was as good at communicating about our agribusiness and marketing.

“It really made up my mind about the importance of marketing and of communication.

“I think in NZ everything is related to the country brand. You have the outdoor activities, the natural farming methods, everything ties back to the country.”

I think in NZ everything is related to the country brand. You have the outdoor activities, the natural farming methods, everything ties back to the country.

Andrea Verissimo Brazilian Corn Ethanol Association

Almost quarter of a century has elapsed since she acquired her Master’s, with first degree honours.

Her dissertation examined the characteristics of six highperforming South Island farmers, highlighting decision processes and approaches that remain as valid today as they did in those near pre-internet times.

At the same time her own country has progressed dramatically, starting to recognise the latent potential of its vast geography, leveraging gains in productivity from that geography and scale that are turning Brazil into a heavy lifter among global food producers.

She recounts how while

completing her dissertation she found an article from an Australian university describing Brazil as a sleeping giant that when it woke up would “crush” Oceania with its food production capacity.

“I could not see it then. Brazilians were not aware then of what would happen. My thinking evolved into promoting Brazilian agribusiness. I learnt that I wanted to be a link, a bridge to promoting Brazilian agribusiness and I have been doing that for the past 23 years.”

This has included roles promoting Brazilian beef, agritech and most recently corn ethanol.

All those roles have included a need to dispel some common and misinformed conceptions of Brazilian agriculture as a “slash and burn”, deforestation-intense industry.

“We have been focusing on increasing productivity, not on taking out more land to get gains.”

She points to the giant state of Mato Grosso, where the total area in pasture has actually dropped from about 25 million hectares in 2017 to 18 million hectares today, as more cropping and cattle operations start to integrate in a bid for greater per hectare productivity.

Brazilian corn production has surged to 110 million tonnes last year, up 45% in the past decade, and expectations are it will achieve 150 million tonnes by the 2032 harvest.

In 30 years, Brazil has gone from being a net importer of cotton to being the world’s No 1 exporter of the fibre, as of only this month.

“We are doing more intensive

farming, including farms that can do three crops, while integrating with cattle is resulting in improvements in soil organic matter.”

Meantime crop waste is being integrated as either animal feed, or biofuel stock for the burgeoning corn ethanol refining sector.

“For us it has become not food

versus fuel, but food, fuel and feed.

“I think now the average Brazilian recognises that Brazilian agribusiness is a good industry with good jobs.

“I am happy to have contributed to it somehow. There are a lot of things we are not good at, but producing food and fibre is something we are.”

Pair take some steep steps to help others

Gerhard

PEOPLE Community

ASOUTHLAND farmer and her friend are training to tackle the hike to Everest base camp as part of a fundraising campaign.

Kathy Wilson, known around Southland as a dairy farmer, grower and owner of Wilson’s Veg greengrocer, and friend Barb Ellison, a nurse and duty manager at Southland Hospital, are part of the “What’s Your Everest” drive to fundraise $150,000.

The campaign is run by Orphans Aid International to fund projects in India that feed and educate homeless children.

Along with other fundraisers, the duo will visit projects in India, then set off to Nepal to do a 130km hike to Everest base camp. All money raised will go towards

the projects, with the hike to Everest base camp self-funded by each individual.

Wilson said orphans living on the street “do not have anyone fighting for them in their camp”.

Ellison said: “If we don’t stand for orphans who have no mum or dad, people out there will take advantage in the worst possible way. We are snatching them from that outcome.

“Farmers won’t walk past an abandoned lamb.”

Wilson and Ellison said they are fit, but the altitude at base camp and the unknown are daunting.

Wilson aims to raise $5000. She has raised about $1800.

Ellison has an aim of $1000 and has raised $200.

If we don‘t stand up for orphans. . . . people out there will take advantage in the worst possible way.

Sue van Schreven, co-founder and CEO of Orphans Aid International, said a school for refugee children and a school for kids living in a leprosy area are among the projects that need funding.

A big concern is areas where child trafficking is rife. Schools and feeding programmes help prevent trafficking, she said.

Van Schreven said huge increases in food costs have made it tough to buy enough food for the schemes.

Fundraising efforts such as What’s Your Everest are crucial. Orphans Aid has been operating for 20 years, having started in Romania helping children abandoned at hospitals.

The first project in India began in 2007, feeding 20 kids who lived on the street.

That number has since increased to over 1600 children.

About $11,000 in total has been raised for the campaign so far.

BRIDGED: Andrea Verissimo holds NZ close for the experiences and insights she gained while completing a Master’s in farm management at Lincoln in 2000.

Uys

BASE CAMP: Kathy Wilson, right, the owner of greengrocer Wilson’s Veg in Southland, and friend Barb Ellison training at Forest Hill track in Southland for their fundraising hike Photo: Gerhard Uys

Barb Ellison Southland nurse

Protein magic pushes Radix quality

A Hamilton company has been working with

EVERYDAY consumers wanting to eat better food are now able to benefit from the smarts that go into high-performance athletes’ diet, thanks to the vision of Hamilton company Radix Nutrition.

Co-founded by CEO Mike Rudling, the low-profile nutrition company is poised to push strongly into mainstream food retail outlets after building up a solid following among consumers and athletes wanting quality food, without having to become dieticians to better understand how to get hold of it.

Rudling spent his earlier years as a competitive member of a European cycling team, regularly

COMPETITOR: Mike Rudling spent his earlier years as a competitive member of a European cycling team, regularly burning off 6000 calories a day in the gruelling, unrelenting competition.

to develop easily consumed nutritive food

burning off 6000 calories a day in the gruelling, unrelenting competition. But even here he quickly saw that behind the scenes the nutritional organisation for competitors was near chaos.

“You see even now, on the likes of Tour de France teams, one nutritionist trying to control the diet of 20 athletes.

“The idea a single nutritionist can control hundreds of nutrient compounds for that many athletes is simply impossible to do from scratch each day, and certainly would not work for everyday people on the street either.”

Rudling was prompted to take his voracious appetite built up by cycling and combine it with an equally voracious appetite for

reading research papers on high performance and nutrition, to create Radix.

“I was really wanting to create food for people that was there, ready to go, as easily consumed as poor quality, highly processed food, but with far greater nutritional value.”

He noted while big food corporations often fail in delivering nutritive food products, their marketing and packaging are slick and smooth, something Radix has worked hard to replicate with its single serve pouches and easy to follow directions.

“It is just unfortunate that the science of high quality nutrition has been a long way ahead of what has been put in front of consumers.”

In establishing Radix, Rudling engaged the help and input of Fonterra’s research and development staff, pulling in the company’s deep expertise in high quality milk proteins, amino acids and phospholipids.

I was really wanting to create food for people that was there, ready to go, as easily consumed as poor quality, highly processed food, but with far greater nutritional value.

Mike Rudling Radix

With the Fonterra sourced protein components Radix is able to claim to be the first company in the world to push its products’ micronutrient content to over 100, without having to fortify with added compounds.

“If you are working with high quality natural ingredients to start with, you should not have to fortify them.

“We wanted a range of protein powders that were more effective than any made before, and Fonterra’s research arm was the place to go to source them.”

Fonterra has been instrumental in working with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations in establishing a digestible indispensable amino acid score (DIAA).

It is now a global standard related to protein quality which ranks dairy sourced proteins and whey protein isolates highest against other plant sourced proteins like peas and soy.

“With Fonterra source protein powders, Radix is the first company to launch a whey protein optimised for bioavailability, with a market leading DIAAS score of 1.61. 47% higher than pure Whey Protein Isolate.”

The “grass fed” aspect of Fonterra’s supplied proteins is known, but Rudling said more work is being done to determine the level of additional quality and

QUALITY: Putting high quality, scientifically advanced food into a form and packaging that is as easily consumed as poor quality processed food has been a key goal for Radix co-founder Mike Rudling.

digestibility this brings to the products.

“We suspect it is, however, linked to a better lipids and amino acid profile.”

Expansion for the firm within NZ has come through both online sales and through speciality retail, but the company is now poised to push into Australia, Europe, the United States and United Kingdom.

“We have been down the highperformance sport route to prove our products, and our broader aim is put that state of art nutrition into every day people’s diets.”

Longer term, Rudling remains convinced there are more layers to peel from the milk molecule that can improve human health, both in the gut and in the mind.

Aware of Fonterra’s work around phospholipids and their link to improved mental performance, he is looking forward to further new product developments in that area.

“While we have our own small team in house, we continue to work closely with Fonterra’s research and development team. They are extremely good at it, and have helped us enter the market well prepared.”

Map and Zap laser system focusing on weeds

Annette Scott TECHNOLOGY Weeds

WEED control is about to get a whole lot more technical following successful trials of the Map and Zap laser weeding system.

The technology, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to hunt weeds and zap them with a laser, has won praise from industry leaders.

A prototype of the Map and Zap system, designed by a group of AgResearch scientists and engineers led by Kioumars Ghamkhar, was put through its paces at a recent demonstration in a Canterbury vineyard.

The system is designed to be used in different agricultural settings with AgResearch now looking for potential investors to take the technology to domestic and overseas markets.

“It’s not to replace chemicals, but it’s going to reduce the use of

chemicals over time,” Ghamkhar said.

The trained AI can distinguish between different species of weed, so that it targets only those plants that are unwanted.

“It then guides the laser to the

REDUCTION: AgResearch scientist Kioumars Ghamkhar says the Map and Zap system will reduce the use of chemicals over time.

weed and kills the weed – map and zap, done.”

The Map and Zap unit can be fitted to a tractor or robot to suit the food production system it is operating in, such as a vineyard, an orchard, a field growing vegetables or pasture.

Wine industry business adviser Heath Stafford was among those to see the new technology in action at the vineyard.

He said an integrated approach is needed in weed management and technology like this can help fill a gap.

“We can’t get rid of herbicides immediately, if at all, but we do need to embark on a technology pathway that largely eliminates the use of herbicides.

“If we can prove Map and Zap here, I think it’s got a fantastic chance of being successful on the global stage,” Stafford said.

Australasia’s managing director for agritech firm CropX, Eitan Dan, was impressed by what he saw at the vineyard demonstration.

“This is the exact thing when you are saying precision agriculture.

“You are dealing precisely with a problem without harming everything around it.”

Dan said Map and Zap is potentially a “great solution” in markets such as Australia and the United States.

KiwiNet commercialisation

programme manager Michelle Polglase believes there is a lot of opportunity globally for “clean technologies” that address the issue of soil health.

Photo: Radix Nutrition

Fonterra

products. Richard Rennie reports.

SPOTLIGHT: The Map and Zap weed killing system in action.

Sector Focus Sheep & Beef

Genomics validate dairy beef sire choice

Hugh Stringleman TECHNOLOGY

Genetics

GENOMIC predictions applied to a trial of dairy beef cattle have shown how to enhance carcase performance while sidelining those animals of lower finishing worth.

The trial was conducted by GENEZ, a genetics company specialising in beef genetics for beef on dairy, and PBB NZ, the administrator for cattle breed societies.

The main aim was to validate the use of beef sire estimated breeding values (EBVs) for beef on dairy sire selection and better predict carcase performance at slaughter using genomics.

Genomic testing is a simple and effective way to allow more predictability for future performance for commercial beef and it was exciting to see the correlation was pretty strong also for the dairy beef.

Genomic testing allows a producer to easily eliminate uncertainty and reduce risk by identifying the genetic potential for the most valuable traits, from growth to hot carcase weight and marbling, according to PBB South Island area manager Trudy Benstead.

“This test should create more market value for buyers wanting to source quality calves.

“We commonly see a fairly standard 100kg price but the question always for the finisher is ‘What makes that animal more superior, compared to the rest?’

“Studs have put in the hard work in breeding and generating EBVs and now we have tools like genomics and Igenity to help us make more selective decisions.

“We will be able to understand what strengths are within the calves that are being purchased for a more confident return.”

GENEZ general manager Ben Watson said the trial was conducted at Kakahu Farms, Geraldine, with selected Kakahu Angus sires over crossbred dairy cows, mated in November 2020.

Targeting the Alliance Pure South Handpicked premium programme, 65 steers and heifers were taken through their second winter and slaughtered in November and December 2023.

Ear tissue samples were taken using the Allflex Tissue Sample Unit and sent to PBB genomic partners Neogen Australia, where they were tested on the commercial beef genetic test Igenity Beef.

The Igenity Beef test is supported by genetic and performance data from over 18 million animals across the globe.

The International Genetic Solutions (IGS) database is included in the Igenity reference population and holds several

million genotypes and data points across multiple beef breeds.

This database was chosen in the hope that dairy beef animals would be predicted accurately due to the multi-breed make-up of IGS.

The steers and heifers killed in two lines weighed between 270kg-370kg carcase weight,

PREDICTABILITY: GENEZ general manager Ben Watson says a combination of good sire selection and genomic screening will give 70% accuracy in predicting marbling at slaughter.

TRACKED: Kakahu trial cattle were selected after using Angus sires over crossbred dairy cows.

within the Handpicked range, where premiums are gained for the degree of marbling.

The results showed significant correlations between genomic predictions, sire breeding values and carcase quality at slaughter.

For the slaughter cattle from sires with intramuscular fat (IMF) at or above the breed average of 2.2, some 68% marbled at carcase assessment and gained premiums.

When genomic predictions by Neogen/PBB were overlayed, the percentage gaining premiums improved to 71%.

Neogen genomics accurately predicted the highest marbling

We will be able to understand what strengths are within the calves that are being purchased for a more confident return

Trudy Benstead PBB NZ

animal, which was the only one predicted at an eight for marbling.

This carcase also scored a seven on the AUS-MEAT scale at chiller assessment.

Conversely, the Kakahu sire bull with the second-lowest IMF breeding value of +0.7 sired the animal with the lowest Neogen prediction for marbling, which scored zero on the AUS-MEAT chiller assessment for marbling.

“We saw that a combination of good sire selection and genomic screening showed around 70% accuracy in predicting marbling at slaughter,” Watson said.

“This is an excellent result considering marbling can be influenced by environmental and management factors.

“My message to farmers is to target meat company premiums and avoid targeting lower-quality livestock, use genomics alongside good sire selection using EBVs.

“Beef on dairy already provides over half of our finishing cattle and GENEZ aims to scale up the quality outcomes for all participants.”

From concept to completion, we offer reliable, long-lasting steel sheep yards in both permanent and semi-permanent options.

Sheep & Beef

Natural allies can tip resistance battle

Gerhard Uys TECHNOLOGY Parasites

THE industry won’t overcome drench resistance challenges by simply waiting for a new and better drench, a group of veterinarians and industry professionals were told at a Beef + Lamb NZ Wormwise workshop in Invercargill.

Vet and Wormwise programme manager Ginny Dodunski and sheep farmer and vet Donna Hamilton held a Q&A session and addressed key points of influence in the worm life cycle, immunity, nutrition, drench use and resistance and misconceptions in the industry.

Hamilton said understanding the parasite life cycle helps inform management practices.

“Eggs in dung are the beginning – these require exposure to oxygen to hatch. The longer they’re buried inside a dung pat the less likely they’ll hatch.

“The biggest proportion of eggs will usually hatch within the first 10 days. Warm conditions with rain and any other action that breaks up dung pats are ideal.”

The faster grass grows, the faster eggs mature into infective stage larvae. The slower grass grows, the longer that stage takes.

“Their biology meets the biology of the plant. When the paddock is ready to be eaten, the worms are infectious. Initial larval stages are not infectious and cannot survive in an animal,” Hamilton said.

Once eaten, larvae go through maturing stages in the gut.

She said “95% of larvae are on pasture. When you drench you are only manipulating 5% of the population.

“In future we need to manage intake of larvae from the environment and minimise exposure of susceptible stock to larvae on pasture at crucial times.”

“When you have a new grass paddock after a crop the worst thing you can do is drench animals onto that new grass. By doing this you can start a pure population of drench surviving worms.”

Dodunski said young stock on clean, high quality feed will consume low levels of larvae and develop immunity with lower than average drench input.

“By the time you see scouring or thrift in lambs or calves there has already been a lot of protein loss while they try to fight worms. Behaviour changes, like reduced feeding and walking, and growth reduction, already start before you see signs of disease.

“In future it will be interesting to see how wearable technology can track behaviour changes and

COLD: Wormwise programme manager Ginny Dodunski says the effect cold has on parasites is overplayed, particularly in certain worm species.

‘Trichostrongylus can survive a number of freeze-thaw cycles, but cold slows down development rates to infective stages.’

may be able to better highlight individuals who need treatment or different management,” Dodunski said.

Hamilton said there are numerous ways of managing animals, feed and worm stages for better outcomes.

For example, Trichostrongylus burdens are worse in autumn.

Having fewer lambs in late autumn, and creating grazing breaks by utilising crops or cattlegrazed pasture means resistant Trichostrongylus cycles can be broken.

“Minimise lamb grass days. Lambs or calves on permanent

grass that are drenched every 28 days as the only means of managing the worm challenge are at risk of helping build resistance.

“Don’t get caught with just a single population of 100% resistant worms. You want worms that have not been selected for resistance and want them to be the majority of the population.”

One thing farmers can do is put their skinny ewes in with lambs at weaning, but not drench those ewes.

Set management systems up to avoid worms.

Integration, swapping stock classes or grazing blocks so that

young stock don’t continue to contaminate the same area, is good practice.

In future, effective drenching will be last on the list of practices to overcome drench resistance. Farm system modifications will have the biggest impact.

Sheep with better immune systems not only limit the worm population inside them, but research shows female worms inside these animals are shorter in length and produce fewer eggs.

Better nutrition can be as simple as better protein intake if protein in the diet is limiting.

In a study at Lincoln where ewes were fed fish meal supplements prelambing to increase protein intake, ewes had lower parasite burden over lambing than ones offered just grass.

“We are usually not offering enough dry matter in the first instance. If we get that right then spring pasture has a lot of protein” Protein is important but dry matter and metabolisable energy are more important, she said. In summer when it’s dry and grass quality drops, protein becomes important.

Dodunski said soils are selenium deficient in most of New Zealand, with deficiencies in stock becoming more common.

Selinised drenches can improve selenium levels.

We’ve listened and we’ve refreshed our strategy

Our vision: Thriving sheep and beef farmers now and into the future

Based on feedback from our farmers, Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s refreshed strategy focuses on enhancing and sustaining on-farm productivity and profitability balanced with sound data, research and insights that will help set our sector up for future success

We’re increasing investment where famers have told us it matters most, behind the farm-gate, with a commitment to ensuring our work adds value to farmers’ bottom lines

This includes ramping up our extension offering, setting up new initiatives focused on small group learning and establishing regional ‘Hub’ farms and partnerships to address local challenges and opportunities

Research and innovation remain top priorities, with increased investment in sheep, beef and dairy beef genetics, and in addressing internal parasites and facial eczema And we’ll continue our work attracting, growing and supporting young people in our sector.

Our advocacy is changing We’re seeking more direct farmer input and will represent your views more strongly to Government We’ll provide evidence-based policy advice across environmental, animal welfare, biosecurity and trade areas that demonstrates potential impacts on our farming businesses here in NZ and protects our strong trading relationships internationally

We’re also lifting our work building the trust and reputation of NZ farmers to better tell your stories and celebrate your care of livestock and the environment

Over the coming months you’ll see us doing some things differently Come and talk to us in more detail at a Director roadshow meeting near you, or keep an eye out for further updates

More info at www beeflambnz com

Banquet of Nature appeals to Shanghai

Annette Scott MARKETS Food and fibre

TASTE Pure Nature

A“Banquet of Nature” campaign in China has seen Shanghai clearly keen to learn more about New Zealand’s world-leading grass-fed red meat.

Targeting conscious foodie consumers in Shanghai, the Beef + Lamb NZ (BLNZ) campaign showcased the exceptional quality of New Zealand grass-fed beef and lamb with custom video viewing exceeding all expectation.

BLNZ partnered with Shanghai bistro chain Alimentari to launch a limited time “Banquet of Nature” special menu at five popular bistros.

The collaboration’s star ingredients were NZ grass-fed beef from Silver Fern Farms and grassfed lamb branded Pure South from Alliance Group.

The chefs crafted fusion dishes inspired by NZ’s pristine environment, highlighting the

unique flavours and quality of NZ red meat.

BLNZ global manager Michael Wan said it is clear the campaign resonated with Chinese conscious foodie consumers.

“Consumers showed great interest and a strong intention to purchase our products following the campaign.

“Many expressed a deeper understanding of NZ grass-fed beef and lamb and noted the distinct taste difference compared to grain-fed meat.

“In using campaign ambassador Shen Hongfei and his popular Shen’s Dining Room channel, our custom videos had around 21 million views, with over 339,000 engagements,” Wan said.

These popular episodes, shared across Shen’s Chinese social media platforms, had a 160% higher viewership, and “an astounding” 1298% higher engagement rate compared to one of Shen’s signature collaborations with a well-known international brand in the food and beverage sector.

“We have had an incredible

response to these episodes that delved into the grass-fed approach, nutritional value and rich natural flavours of NZ beef and lamb.

“It clearly shows an interest from Chinese consumers to learn more about our world-leading grassfed red meat and what makes the eating experience so unique.”

The episodes, released on popular Chinese social media channels, provided in-depth insights about the grass-fed approach, nutritional value, and rich natural flavours of NZ grassfed beef and lamb.

They discussed how to combine health and deliciousness, leading the audience to more intuitively experience the pure nature of NZ and the high quality of beef and lamb.

The campaign gained notable media coverage from Forbes China and Le You TV, with two in-depth

B+LNZ 2024 Director roadshow

It clearly shows an interest from Chinese consumers to learn more about our world-leading grass-fed red meat.

Wan BLNZ

interviews having an estimated combined 515,269 impressions.

BLNZ chair Kate Acland said the aim of such marketing activities is to bring NZ beef and lamb into the daily lives of more Chinese consumers.

“We want to enable more Chinese conscious foodie consumers to understand and appreciate the unique value of NZ grass-fed beef and lamb, promote consumption, and strengthen cooperation between China and NZ in the red meat trade sector.”

North Island – remaining sessions

Piopio Tuesday 20 August, 10am

Te Akau Tuesday 20 August, 4pm

Morrinsville Wednesday 21 August, 10am

Te Puke Wednesday 21 August, 4pm

Stratford Monday 26 August, 10am

Whanganui Monday 26 August, 4pm

Wellsford Monday 26 August, 12.30pm

Arapohue Tuesday 27 August, 9am

Feilding Tuesday 27 August, 10am

Taihape Tuesday 27 August, 4.30pm

Whangārei Tuesday 27 August, 5pm

Come along to hear updates relevant to you and provide input to help shape the future Find out about our refreshed strategy’s focus behind the farm gate and help test our thinking on key policy issues.

By Farmers For Farmers™

Taumarunui Wednesday 28 August, 11am

Kerikeri Wednesday 28 August, 12.30pm

Dannevirke Tuesday 3 September, 12.30pm

Masterton Tuesday 3 September, 5.30pm

Havelock North Wednesday 4 September, 3pm

Wairoa Thursday 5 September, 12.30pm

Gisborne Thursday 5 September, 5.30pm

South Island – remaining sessions

Riverton

Te Anau

Tuesday 20 August, 3pm

Wednesday 21 August, 10am

Gore Wednesday 21 August, 4pm

Lawrence Thursday 22 August, 10am

Alexandra Thursday 22 August, 3pm

Middlemarch Friday 23 August, 11am

Methven Wednesday 4 September, 4pm

Fairlie Thursday 5 September, 10am

Waimate Thursday 5 September, 4pm

Michael

LEARNING: Michael Wan says there is a clear interest from Chinese consumers to learn more about NZ’s world-leading grassfed red meat.

RESONATE: BLNZ global manager Michael Wan says the NZ red meat story resonates with Chinese conscious foodie consumers.

Sheep & Beef

Education: Happy cows hit corn option

Richard Rennie TECHNOLOGY Livestock

FLORIAN Diez’s cattle farm in the Mato Grosso state of Brazil is a welcome contrast to what would be expected from the typical intense, confronting feedlot-style operation common in places like the United States.

The family-owned operation has continued to keep pasture as the main feed source for much of the life of the 7000 cattle it rears.

But the Diezes are also among the first in their district to adopt dried distillers grain (DDG) as a feed component for finishing their cattle over their final 150 days prior to processing.

Like all farmers in the cerrado (savannah) biome of Mato Grosso, they face a limit of 50% on how much of their farm’s land can actually be farmed, with the rest left in its natural state.

In their case this means they farm 3150 hectares of the 7000ha title, and any increase in production has to come from productivity gains off that land. That is, by boosting cattle finishing performance, and also by introducing corn cropping into their system.

Joining the state’s trend to double cropping, or a second,

safrinha crop of corn is delivering double benefits to their farming operation.

The dry season from June to August allows for corn planting after soybean harvesting, supplying the nearby Inpasa ethanol refinery, which in turn provides high protein DDG to help finish the cattle.

“We were one of the first to use DDG, and now regard our cattle almost as a third ‘crop’, with soybeans, then corn, then the cattle can be fed corn residue before being finished on a diet that includes DDG,” Florian Diez said.

We were one of the first to use DDG, and now regard our cattle almost as a third ‘crop’, with soybeans, then corn, then the cattle can be fed corn residue.

Florian Diez Mato Grosso

A typical feed finishing mix will include 12% DDG, 10-15% cotton seed and 60-80% straight corn.

“We will bring them into finishing at 390kg and finish them at 580kg and expect to get 1.5kg gains a day.”

When moved to the finishing stage the cattle are stocked at about 10 head per hectare, with continuing access to some pasture.

The Diezes run Nelore genetics, a breed originating from India and highly capable in the tropical climate, with additional genetics from Angus, delivering welltempered, quick-finishing stock.

For its part, the cattle-corn combo helps build organic matter in the soil, boosted by the interrow sowing of brachiaria grass, fed out with the corn stubble and also remaining in situ to boost organic levels.

Shifting to add corn cropping into the farm’s operation means stocking rates overall have been lifted to 2.8 cows per hectare, well up on the region’s average of 2.0/ ha.

The good quality, high energy content and digestibility of DDG mean the Diezes have the female cattle finished 10-15% earlier, or at the equivalent heavier weights, depending on whether they opt to hold or sell when the time comes to quit them.

“The DDG has definitely improved the rate of fat gain and growth development and gives us more flexibility around when we sell or hold stock.”

As of this May, Brazil has been declared clear of foot and mouth disease, and stock no longer

require vaccination against the disease.

This will provide increased impetus for a sector already claiming the No 1 spot as global exporter and second for total overall production.

It also means as the world’s largest beef producer, Brazil is no longer prevented from selling

beef to nations including Japan and South Korea, which banned imports when the disease was prevalent.

• Rennie visited Brazil as part of an international delegation of agricultural journalists hosted by the Brazilian Association of Corn Ethanol Producers.

FED UP: DDG provides a valuable feed component to aid earlier finishing of cattle on Florian Diez’s Mato Grosso property.

FEDERATED FARMERS

Otago Feds demand transparency on costs

FEDERATED Farmers are calling for transparency from the Otago Regional Council about the potential impacts and costs of proposed new freshwater rules.

“The council needs to be honest about what these rules might mean for our community and how much it could cost ratepayers,” Federated Farmers Otago president Luke Kane says.

“Since the release of draft regulations, there have been significant changes made, but because of the secretive nature of the consultation process the community is completely in the dark.

“This is serious stuff and there needs to be some urgency. The rules are scheduled to come into force in October and will have immediate legal effect,” Kane says.

In particular, Federated Farmers want to know how the principle of Te Mana o te Wai will be applied under the new regulations – and the cost.

“Confidential information provided to Federated Farmers suggests the costs will be more than $110 million for just two small Otago towns, equating to more than $50,000 per ratepayer,” Kane says.

“If similar costs can be expected across the rest of Otago, we’re talking about a multi-billiondollar spend, with huge financial implications for residents.

“The regional council needs to urgently confirm whether these cost projections are accurate. If they’re not, they need to front up with the real figures fast.”

Federated Farmers say that, under the current national freshwater direction, Te Mana o te Wai does not have a fixed application.

Instead, every regional council must engage with communities and tangata whenua to determine how the concept should be applied locally.

“Federated Farmers are incredibly concerned about how the principle of Te Mana o te Wai may be applied in Otago,” Kane says.

Federated Farmers are incredibly concerned about how the principle of Te Mana o te Wai may be applied in Otago.

Luke Kane Federated Farmers Otago president

“We understand council engagement has led to a view that that no treated wastewater that has passed through a human body can be discharged back into local waterways.

“This would mean wastewater, despite being treated to an

incredibly high standard, would need to be discharged to land at significant cost to ratepayers.”

There are also significant concerns for irrigated farmers that water drawn from one waterway will not be able to be discharged into another, Kane says.

This is because of beliefs that each waterbody has a distinct mauri, or spirit, and mixing mauri would reduce the mana of the water.

“While we are respectful of our local iwi and Māori cultural beliefs, these kinds of interpretations will have huge costs and consequences for the region.”

Kane says neither of these requirements, or their associated costs ranging into the billions, will improve the scientific health of local waterways.

“They’re about improving the cultural and spiritual needs of the waterways but, given the huge implications, I think we need to have a more transparent conversation.”

Federated Farmers note that 82% of Otago’s local waterways are already swimmable.

The consultation from Otago Regional Council has been woefully insufficient given the serious implications and potential costs of these regulations, Kane says.

“The current national direction requires the regional council to engage with both the local

Keen to st ar t your digit al journey ?

community and tangata whenua to determine how Te Mana o te Wai should be applied.

“While they’ve quite rightly engaged with local Iwi, the wider local community have not had sufficient opportunity to feed into the process.”

Farmers and others are in the dark as to what action will be required to meet onerous new national bottom lines for freshwater management, Kane says.

“We’ve asked the council to share data on the naturally occurring levels of sediment in Otago, so farmers and foresters can manage their contributions to sediment in waterways.

“In many cases across New Zealand, sediment bottom lines are below those achievable even if a catchment was in its natural state.

“Disappointingly, we have not had any response.”

The Government is currently reviewing the national direction for freshwater, including the concept of Te Mana o te Wai and national bottom lines.

While this review is underway, the Government has extended the deadline for regional councils to notify new plans to the end of 2027.

“So, there’s no pressure to rush this plan through in October,” Kane says.

“Otago Regional Council needs to slow down, be transparent with our community, and carry out further consultation on the true costs and implications of these regulations.

“This would also allow more time for the council to understand and respond to changing central government direction on freshwater management.”

SECRETIVE: Otago Regional Council’s inadequate freshwater consultation process means many in the community are in the dark on costs and impacts, Luke Kane says.

Bill would avoid mixed messages on emissions

MARK Cameron’s member’s bill that would prevent regional councils from regulating greenhouse gas emissions is a smart step for climate change policy, Federated Farmers say.

“With farmers and others keenly interested in stamping out unnecessary red tape and duplication, this represents a return to sensible legislation,” the organisation’s RMA reform spokesperson Mark Hooper says.

“Greenhouse gas emissions are a global rather than local challenge. It has never made sense for local councils to individually regulate emissions.”

New Zealand already has a number of national policies and targets governing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, so any local policy would just mean unnecessary duplication

and confusion, Hooper says.

“If councils create different rules for their region, it’s sending mixed messages.

“It’s duplicating what central government is already doing and, worse, has the potential to create huge headaches for farmers and others,” Hooper says.

“We had legislation that ensured national consistency on GHGs; it shouldn’t have been tinkered with.”

Hooper says Act Party MP Mark Cameron’s Amendment Bill, announced last month, will largely reinstate changes made in 2004 that were then repealed in 2020 by the previous Government.

Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) has proposed a target of a 50% reduction in all GHG emissions by 2030, including biogenic methane.

“This diverges from the central

government targets that treat shortlived biogenic methane differently to long-lived carbon dioxide,” Hooper says.

“For Wairarapa farmers, who sit inside the GWRC’s boundaries, this means a resource consent application could set conditions that require farmers to reduce emissions in line with the 50% target.

“It raises questions for all resource consent applications. For example, could a new road or house fail a resource consent application if it wasn’t viewed as consistent with a 50% reduction?”

Hooper says none of this makes any sense when carbon dioxide emissions are already captured under the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).

Different parts of the country have varying opportunities for mitigating emissions or sequestering carbon, and the ETS efficiently caters for this, he says.

“Preventing activities that emit carbon dioxide in Wellington will simply mean more of the ETS cap is available for other regions,” Hooper says.

“While agricultural emissions aren’t in the ETS, this is for good reason. Economic modelling showed

it would reduce sheep and beef production by over 20% by 2030, for a much less ambitious target.”

With 39% of the Wellington region’s greenhouse gas emissions coming from agriculture, achieving a 50% reduction in regional emissions in just over five years’ time could mean huge conversion of farmland to forestry, Hooper says.

“The council is flying blind, having not done any economic modelling to understand this,” Hooper says.

“Wellington is just the first example of where this can go. Gisborne District Council is also discussing a climate change roadmap to 2050, which includes guidance on how the council will reduce emissions.

“Mark Cameron’s bill is sensible policy that reinstates law supported by both the Clark and Key Governments for 16 years. It deserves cross-party support.”

The explanatory note to Cameron’s bill says the fragmentation of authority to put in place binding standards on GHG cuts can lead to different rules in different regions, “creating confusion and uncertainty.

“Rural communities are particularly likely to be significantly affected by regional-focused interventions,” the note says.

SENSIBLE: Mark Cameron’s bill is smart policy that deserves crossparty support, Mark Hooper says.

“This inconsistency can result in increased compliance costs, hinder long-term investment in sustainable practices, and ultimately place a disproportionate burden on the agricultural sector.

“Centralised decision-making ensures a unified approach to climate change, allowing development of cohesive strategies.”

Hooper says the argument is the same that Federated Farmers puts in relation to management of genetically modified organisms.

“Current legislation around GMOs, unfortunately, enables regional and district councils to undermine or override decisions made by central government agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency.

“There is a role for councils on climate change, which is consulting their residents and making provision in their district plan for how their community will adapt to predicted sea level rise and more frequent storms.

“That is a local prerogative and task.

“Setting emission-reduction rules requires a broader perspective and resources, which is best left to central government.”

LEGISLATE: Federated Farmers says emissions reduction settings should be decided centrally, not regionally.

Calling out misinformation on nitrates

RESTATING incorrect information over and over doesn’t make it true, regardless of how passionate the people giving the misinformation might be.

The expert in this subject is Frank Frizelle, Professor of Colorectal Surgery at the University of Otago, Canterbury, and advisor to Bowel Cancer NZ.

Professor Frizelle has stated publicly that “nitrates in drinking water are highly unlikely to increase the risk of bowel cancer in New Zealand, according to the current weight of evidence”.

Bowel Cancer NZ’s website carries a similar message, explaining that approximately half of the nitrates in our bodies come from metabolising amino acids; the other half comes from our diet, particularly green vegetables.

Less than 10% of nitrates in New Zealand come from drinking water.

Claims that people are at risk of colorectal cancer in New Zealand because of high nitrate rely on a study of citizens in Denmark published in 2018.

That study investigated the link between nitrates and colorectal cancer in Denmark over 23 years and could not determine causation. The results did not show a dose-related response. In other words, more nitrates didn’t result in more cancer.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is alert for ‘emerging research’ on this matter, but it hasn’t changed its recommendations for safe drinking water concentrations of nitrate based on any study in recent years.

Their 2022 update on drinking water states: “Nitrate can reach both surface water and groundwater as a consequence of agricultural activity (including excess application of inorganic nitrogenous fertilisers and manures), from wastewater disposal and from oxidation of nitrogenous waste products in human and other animal excreta, including septic tanks.

“Nitrate can also occasionally reach groundwater as a consequence of natural vegetation,” the update says.

From this, it is clear that agriculture is not the only source of nitrate in drinking water.

The WHO report also makes it clear that babies are at risk from nitrate-related problems (such as Blue Baby Syndrome) when there is microbial contamination as well as high nitrate.

The 2022 report emphasises the importance of ensuring septic tanks are not sited near a well.

Another health concern incorrectly associated with nitrate in drinking water is preterm birth.

In New Zealand, approximately 7.4% of births are defined as preterm (less than 37 weeks of gestation), in comparison with 6.2% in Denmark, 8% in the UK, 8.7% in Australia and 10.5% in the USA.

… we have a big antidairy lobby and water purity lobby who want to throw everything they can on the fire to say it is causing all this damage.

Frank Frizelle Professor of Colorectal Surgery, University of Otago

The 2024 ‘New Zealand Maternity Clinical Indicators: background document’ recommends managing high blood pressure and tobacco to reduce likelihood of pre-term babies. Nitrate was not mentioned.

Further, in New Zealand, there is no relationship between highernitrate groundwater and wells and increased incidence of preterm births. Whatever region is examined, very few wells are over the World Health Guideline for nitrate in drinking water (50 mg/l) and few are above half the guideline recommendation.

All of the above information is in the public domain, but alarmist

headlines still appear.

Farming leaders such as Wayne Langford have tried to point out the misinformation.

“Farmers and others in rural communities are drinking this water, so if there is a link then we want to know about it. But we will be taking our advice from health professionals, not environmental activists,” Langford has said.

He went on to say, “Greenpeace is using misinformation about a human health issue to prey on people’s fear of cancer and to push an anti-farming agenda”.

Professor Frizelle has also warned against over-interpreting the nitrate and bowel cancer research, “particularly in the environment we are in where we have a big anti-dairy lobby and water purity lobby who want to throw everything they can on the fire to say it is causing all this damage”.

But activists have cloth ears when correct information doesn’t suit their narrative.

In the nitrate case, the agenda appears to be pushing farmers to change from conventional agriculture to regenerative and organic farming or converting entirely to plant-based agriculture instead of animals.

Those wanting to see this happen believe it would be a win from all angles. However, they overlook the fact there would be a drastic fall in the production of high-quality protein for humans.

Fewer people would be fed, so it wouldn’t be a win for those who have no food.

The protein produced would have more environmental impact per kg of product; hence, no win for the environment.

And thirdly, New Zealand income would be reduced, which would leave the country with a balance-ofpayment problem.

Cutting through the passion and misinformation is not always easy, but Mr Langford has the answer: get your advice from experts because

Cutting through the passion and misinformation is not always easy when discussing important issues, Dr

they are both passionate and informed.

• Dr Jacqueline Rowarth, Adjunct Professor Lincoln University, has a

PhD in Soil Science, and is a director of DairyNZ, Ravensdown and Deer Industry NZ. She is also a member of the Scientific Council of the World Farmers’ Organisation.

FACTS:

Jacqueline Rowarth says.

Fighting for farming flexibility in Gore

Plans to declare the entirety of Gore District as a Site and Area of Significance to Māori could be bad news for farmers, say Southland Federated Farmers.

“This is a highly unusual approach to handling iwi interests and could have a chilling effect on ordinary farming activities,” provincial president Jason Herrick says.

“Moving ahead with the proposed district plan as it stands will add a whole lot of bureaucracy to lots of day-to-day tasks, but not add a lot of value for anyone.

“It could also set an unfortunate precedent for resource management processes in other parts of the country as well – so this isn’t just an issue for Gore.”

The standard Sites and Areas of Significance to Māori (SASM) approach in district plans is for mana whenua and other iwi to identify sites of significance to them.

This could include marae and pā sites, urupa (burial grounds), maunga (mountains, hills), rock

carvings, and waahi tupuna (ancestral sites).

Rules or standards can be built in to ensure activities or resource consent applications are subject to protections or conditions for such identified sites.

“Farmers want to be respectful of genuine sites of significance for our local Iwi and to ensure proper protections are in place,” Herrick says.

“But to declare the entire district as a site of significance is a massive overreach that is really going to put farmers’ noses out of joint and divide the community.”

Ngāi Tahu have said they are reluctant to define specific sites of significance because Māori interact with the entire natural environment.

These include things that are important to them like mahinga kai (producing, collecting food) and manaakitanga (hosting guests).

Federated Farmers are disappointed Gore District Council have accepted Ngāi Tahu’s suggested approach.

“This is going to be a major

headache for local farmers and add a lot of unnecessary cost and complexity to even the most basic farming tasks,” Herrick says.

He says Federated Farmers have identified 91 rules or standards in Gore’s plan where Ngāi Tahu’s values will need to be assessed.

“These include everything from digging dead holes and farm rubbish pits through to earthworks for silage pits and the construction and maintenance of farm tracks.

“There will also be issues with the height of poles, masts and other infrastructure, and the maintenance of existing defences against water.”

Herrick says these rules won’t just affect farmers either.

“People will also need a cultural assessment for things like cycling and walking tracks, small-scale wind and hydro turbines, subdivisions and installing a septic tank.

“These rules capture far more than is necessary, and we’re incredibly concerned they will just add cost, delay and paperwork – for no gain.

“It would have been much easier to comply if Ngāi Tahu had actually recognised areas that were truly significant to the Iwi.

“If farmers know a site used to be a pā, or ancestors are buried there, we would respect that. We’d just put our shed or water tank somewhere else.

“But farmers need some certainty about where those significant sites are so we can get on with our jobs –we’re trying to run businesses.”

Herrick says farmers will also need some flexibility.

“If we have a slip that takes out a farm access track or fence line, we’ll need to be able to get out there and fix it.

“Under these new rules, repairs and maintenance of accessways, or land disturbance for the construction of fences, would need a cultural impact assessment.”

To declare the entire district as a site of significance is a massive overreach that is really going to put farmers’ noses out of joint and divide the community.

Jason Herrick Federated Farmers Southland president

Herrick says Federated Farmers aren’t disputing the significance of the environment or the whenua (land) for Māori.

“We just want to understand what sites are truly significant to iwi,” Herrick says.

“As the rules are currently written, they will just drive conflict, as they

regulate and restrict even the most minor activities.”

He says it’s unclear from available detail how cultural value assessments will work in practice. Questions are also being asked about whether council – and iwi – have the resources to carry out assessments in a timely manner.

Hearings of submissions on the Proposed Gore District Plan started in June and run through to March next year.

Herrick says Federated Farmers also have concerns about provisions in the plan for Significant Natural Areas (SNAs), financial contributions and other aspects.

“We’re keen to better understand what’s trying to be achieved, so we can propose solutions and retain flexibility and practicality for farming,” Herrick says.

HEADACHE: Gore District Council’s approach will add unnecessary cost and complexity to even the most basic farming tasks, Jason Herrick says.

CAPTURED: Jason Herrick says farmers aren’t the only Southlanders who may be affected by the council’s approach, as walking tracks and wind turbines would also need a cultural assessment.

West Coast Feature

Kokatahi 250 Bladier Road

First class dairy farm

Seldom do have we have the privilege to market such a quality dairy asset in this highly regarded location. Situated at Kokatahi only 20 minutes from Hokitika is this first class 214 ha dairy farm that has been well developed and farmed by our vendors. Currently milking 430 cows achieving top production of 168,777 kgMS on a semi self-contained basis

Excellent range of quality farm infrastructure including a modern 44 bail rotary cowshed with ACR's plus in shed meal feeding supported by a full range of shedding Superior accommodation options including the main homestead set in established grounds completed by a modern three bedroom Lockwood home This farm ticks all the boxes - excellent location, quality free draining soils and superior farm infrastructure and housing Stock and plant available at valuation.

Kokatahi 21 Meharry Road

Motivated Vendor - seize the opportunity!

Well established 246 ha (230 eff ha) dairy farm located in the favoured Kokatahi Valley only 20 minutes inland from Hokitika. This property consists of fertile silt loam soils that are some of the most versatile on the West Coast, providing options of both brassicas and maize crop production. Currently milking approximately 390 cows with 156,275 kgMS in the 23/24 season on a fully self-contained basis with the milking herd and all young stock wintered on farm.

Improvements include a centrally located 36 bail rotary cowshed with automatic cup removers and in shed meal feeding system plus a full range of shedding. The property is also well subdivided with an excellent network of gravel lanes and reticulated stock water supply Accommodation options include two comfortable three bedroom weatherboard homes located off Meharry Road. This property presents an excellent opportunity for purchasers seeking a fully self-contained dairy with good quality soils & excellent location.

E gareth@pb.co.nz

E anna.hart@pb.co.nz

Sale $4,250,000 + GST (if any)

pb.co.nz/HKR111865

Hart M 027 294 9678 E anna.hart@pb.co.nz Gareth Cox M 021 250 9714 E gareth@pb.co.nz

Agricultural Contractors Auction

Ngahape Rd, RD3, Te Awamutu

Thursday 22nd August – 10.00am

Viewing: Wednesday 21st August 10.00am – 4.00pm and 8.30am day of sale

After many years as an Agricultural Contractor it is time to downsize and sell some surplus Plant & Equipment which has been well maintained in their own extensive workshops. Purchasers can buy with con dence.

Sale includes: Claas Forage Harvesters x 2, Claas Hay rakes x 4, Kuhn round Baler, Krone Baler/Wrapper, Fendt Tractors, CASE Tractors, Planters, Discs, Ploughs, Trailers, Fuel Tankers, Vehicles, Claas Front & Rear mowers, West Spreader Trailer, Nissan Crane Truck, 2005 Foden A3-6R Tip Truck with Trailer and much more

For further enquiries contact Alastair 021 473 270 Or check out our website www.abauctions.co.nz

Specialist Auctioneers to Commerce & Industry

TALK

Once upon a time, there lived in a magical land a snake, named Nate. In this land, actually rather close to Nate’s house there was a great road, and next to this road was a lever. The lever was ancient, and the mythology around the lever was that if you were to push it, it would trigger the end of the world.

One day, Nate was slithering down the road, and he came upon the lever, and began crossing the road so he could look at it. At the same moment, a truck came careening around a corner, and the driver found himself in a dilemma: either hit the snake or end the world.

Needless to say, the driver ran over Nate and went on his merry way.Moral of the Story: The moral of the story is: Better Nate than Lever.

Here at Farmers Weekly we get some pretty funny contributions to our Sale Talk joke from you avid readers, and we’re keen to hear more!

If you’ve got a joke you want to share with the farming community (it must be something you’d share with your grandmother...) then email us at: saletalk@agrihq.co.nz with Sale Talk in the subject line and we’ll print it and credit it to you. Conditions apply

Pre-lamb run-up still holds options

Richard Rennie TECHNOLOGY Sheep & beef

THIS winter has proven to be a variable mixed bag for sheep farmers in the run-up to lambing.

Some regions, including King Country and Manawatū, are reporting good feed levels, while areas like inland Canterbury and Marlborough have had little growth and are coming off the back of a tough autumn.

Zoetis consulting veterinarian Dr Clive Bingham has seen firsthand the impact this variability is having in the run up to lambing.

It has some farmers grappling with near record low feed levels and the real prospect of compromised ewe and lamb health as a result.

He also has some valuable insights on the best tactical moves for farmers scrambling in the face of a tough winter, and references the “four pillars” of a successful lambing – good nutrition, good body condition, disease prevention and parasite management.

“Ultimately setting your targets for feed levels and ewe condition goes right back to autumn. Winter is generally the most consistent season in terms of its pasture growth rates so predicting what your feed covers are likely to be at lambing based on your autumn covers is generally quite accurate.

If you are not close to where you want to be in autumn then it can be tough, if not impossible, to make it up through winter, as we have seen in some areas.”

For many South Island farmers who winter ewes on crop, transitioning ewes back onto pasture prior to lambing can be difficult when pasture levels are too low.

“Typically, you want to allow about 25 days ex crop for the rumen bacteria to modify for pasture digestion, ideally moving to good levels of high quality pasture. When ewes transition onto pasture that is too short or if it is done too close to lambing there is a higher risk of metabolic disease resulting in higher ewe and lamb loss.”

Ideally target pasture covers at set stocking should be 1400kgDM per hectare for twin ewes, allowing for ewes to eat this down no lower than 1200kgDm/ha.

Body condition score at lambing wants to be between 2.5-3.5.

When ewes get too light, not only is performance compromised but there is a higher ewe and lamb mortality rate, particularly in the twins.

Where feed levels and body condition are compromised the flock is more vulnerable to single extreme weather events, which quickly reveals that level of vulnerability through high stock losses.

there are still a few levers farmers can pull to try to optimise ewe performance.

The third pillar, disease prevention, will help avoid losses from infectious diseases. Vaccination for campylobacter, the primary cause of flock abortions in late pregnancy, and Toxoplasmosis (a parasitic disease transmitted by cats) can reduce the wastage from scanning to docking.

“Vaccinating ewes against clostridial disease such as tetanus, pulpy kidney, black disease, blackleg and malignant oedema in the last few weeks of pregnancy will not only protect the ewe but will make sure they have good colostrum antibody levels to pass onto their lambs once they start suckling.

“It’s really a no brainer and even in these tougher times, not something you want to compromise on.”

Typically, ewe boosters would be administered as a single shot two to four weeks prior to lambing, and lambs will receive their first vaccination dose at docking followed by the booster 4-6 weeks later or at the next time you have them in.

Alongside disease prevention comes the increasingly critical and complex task of parasite management. In an environment

Causes and the prevention of clostridial disease

Although preventable, lamb loss from clostridial diseases during the first year of life on New Zealand hill country farms continues to be an issue. A field trial, where lambs were vaccinated at docking and weaning, demonstrated that vaccination was highly effective, lowering clostridial deaths by 23%.

Zoetis veterinarian Dr Victoria Chapman unpacks the importance of robust animal health programmes, vaccination timing and the potential harmful consequences for stock when vaccination isn’t given.

What are the main clostridial diseases in NZ?

The clostridial diseases that are most likely to affect stock under New Zealand farming conditions include tetanus (often contracted at tailing), pulpy kidney (enterotoxaemia), black disease (triggered by migrating liver fluke), blackleg (caused by bruising), malignant oedema (resulting from fighting) and sometimes Sudden

Death Syndrome, especially in lambs grazing specialty finishing crops.

How are clostridial diseases spread on farms?

Clostridial bacteria naturally exist in the environment and multiply in low-oxygen conditions, such as those caused by bruising. They are ingested with soil or plant matter and often lie dormant

in muscle or the gut, awaiting suitable conditions.

How often should you vaccinate for clostridial diseases?

Ewes and cows require annual boosters to protect them and to bolster maternal antibodies passed to their lambs and calves respectively, through colostrum. Young animals need a primer followed by a booster 4-6 weeks

where triple drench resistance is much more common, Bingham emphasises farmers are no longer able to just drench their way out of parasite problems. They need to consider all aspects of parasite management such as reducing or avoiding pasture contamination with L3 larvae and adjusting their drench practices to allow for refugia.

Administering your clostridials to your pregnant ewes in the last few weeks and making sure they have good antibody levels is critical.

Dr Clive Bingham Zoetis

“There is little prospect of any new actives on the horizon, and the supply of novel actives is pretty tight right now.”

Pre-spring, he recommends faecal egg counts (FEC)s be conducted on ewe flocks approaching lambing to give an early warning indication of potential parasite issues before it’s too late to do anything.

“This year particularly, store lamb prices have been lower so farmers have held onto lambs longer, with a risk those lambs are contaminating pastures the ewes are now on. It could well be a prelamb drench will be necessary, but you can also be smart about how you go about that.”

He also recommends identifying the most vulnerable ewes, including thinner ones that may be carrying multiple lambs.

“Pre-lamb drenching really is the last lever you have to pull before lambing to help ewes out if their nutrition has been compromised through winter or if they are lambing on contaminated paddocks.”

Bingham is heartened to see more farmers taking notice of these recommendations around resistance avoidance, and the realisation there is not a chemical solution on the way any time soon.

Mixing up stock classes, avoiding intensive, prolonged grazing patterns with young stock, monitoring FECs and being selective in drench programmes are all strategies on hand.

“It’s about trying not to be too complicated. We have the tools, we just need to use them.”

Ewes and cows require annual boosters to protect them and to bolster maternal antibodies passed to their

later. If they are to graze crops, ensure a booster is given within 3 months of going onto the crop.

What are the early signs of clostridial diseases? Typically, no early signs are

evident, just sudden death. However, with tetanus, lambs may be found lying in a stiff sawhorse position and spasm when touched.

Continued next page

PREPARATION: Dr Clive Bingham says the ‘four pillars’ of a successful lambing are good nutrition, good body condition, disease prevention and parasite management.

OPTIONS: As lambing approaches, Dr Clive Bingham says

BOOST:

lambs and calves respectively, through colostrum.

Health plans are more than just box-ticking

Richard Rennie TECHNOLOGY Livestock

TURNING annual animal health plans from a “must do” box-ticking exercise into useful, living parts of farm decisionmaking can be as rewarding for vets as it is for their farmer clients.

Mark Bryan, managing director of VetSouth, said while animal health plans (AHPs) may be a regulatory requirement, they also offer an exceptional opportunity for goal-setting and review during the farm year.

His company has had its drystock clients on AHPs for the past decade, and in fully digitised form for the past seven years for ease of access, update and sharing.

“It also means we are building up an exceptionally good picture district by district of KPIs our

clients like to be able to compare their performance with, whether it is scanning percentages, lambing percentages, or weights, for example.

“It becomes much easier for them to identify areas of opportunity to target during the season.”

Importantly, he said, the plans capture not only stock numbers, but the multiple stock types that often comprise a drystock operation’s livestock population. This will often contrast to the straightforward population of a typical dairy operation.

The upside for us here in Southland is we do have some very progressive, passionate sheep farmers.

Mark Bryan VetSouth

Because of the stock class complexity, setting a plan at the start of the season affords an opportunity for vet and farmer clients to get around the kitchen table and under the hood of the farm’s system, and the farmer’s goals for the coming year.

He said the top quartile of VetSouth’s farmers develop a plan that is broken into three, or even four, parts through the farming year, with review periods attached to each stage.

“The idea of having a single annual plan set at the start of the year invariably involves a big dump of information all at once. It’s a lot to take in over one sitting. If you are going to invest the time in a plan, it often can be better to split it up.”

Setting a plan to start with also helps know what products will be needed, and can identify early if they will indeed be available at a time when product outages are becoming more common with

REVIEW: Post-lamb weaning is a good opportunity to sit down and review some of the things you may have changed up, says Mark Bryan.

Continued from previous page

What are the benefits of vaccinating pregnant ewes?

Annual vaccination protects ewes during lambing.

She isn’t giving birth in a clean hygienic environment, so the vaccine boosts her immunity to protect her during this stressful time.

It also provides short-term protection via colostrum for their lambs.

Are there on-farm practices that can help reduce the incidence of clostridial disease?

Prevention is key, including minimising bruising during yarding and handling.

Maintaining hygiene with clean, sharp needles and clean docking equipment reduces infection risk, and the gradual introduction of lambs to crops helps prevent digestive imbalances.

Vaccination stimulates the immune system.

How do you create a vaccination plan with an unknown flock history?

Assume the flock is unvaccinated and administer two vaccinations 4-6 weeks apart, followed by annual boosters as usual.

Is vaccination costly?

Compared to stock losses, a vaccination program for clostridial disease is far less expensive.

A recent field trial with Ultravac 5in1 in New Zealand showed that vaccination of lambs at docking and pre-weaning prevented 23% of the total lamb deaths and returned a gross income 3.5 times greater than the vaccine cost.

For farm specific clostridial disease programs or to learn more about the importance of robust animal health programmes, vaccination timing and the potential harmful consequences for stock when vaccination isn’t given, get in touch with your local vet.

drench, antibiotic and clostridial products.

“Having a plan at the start of the year means we can identify needs early, and be in a position to know that, yes, we can source that, or no, that will not be an option.”

Meantime splitting up the review periods during the farming year keeps the plan running and current.

“For example, you may have your first review pre-Christmas, which would be post-lambing post-weaning.

“It is a good opportunity to sit down and review some of the things you may have changed up over that time, for example maybe you dropped your clostridials for some ewes – you can see how that actually went, or not.”

Minds are usually far clearer recalling successes and failures if reviewing only weeks after the decision’s impact was felt, rather than waiting a year for a retrospective end of season review.

Post-spring reviews may include taking a closer look at parasite management, something more farmers are aware of, as greater resistance emerges.

BOXES TO TICK:

animal health plans offer the opportunity for vets and farmers to get under the hood of the farm’s operations and identify potential opportunities early on in the year.

“It is an area we are all getting better at, but could always do more in, a bit like parenting at times,” he said.

He agrees animal health budgets are close to their absolute minimum right now, with little left to cut out.

“But I think the upside for us here in Southland is we do have some very progressive, passionate sheep farmers.

“They are doing what they do because they are committed to it – if they weren’t you’d probably find they would have converted to dairying years ago.”

That includes a good cohort of younger farmers keen to adopt new tech and learn more about their options in the face of challenges like parasite resistance.

“That is also matched with a good group of younger vets who are committed to the sheep and beef sector because of the variety and interest it offers them, so it’s a good match at a tough time.”

For this reason, it has been easier to avoid the AHP sessions becoming box-ticking missions, and helping them evolve into highly productive, honest, and proactive consulting sessions.

Plans help farmers earn premium

Richard Rennie TECHNOLOGY Livestock

FARMERS wanting to gain a premium by advancing from the standard NZ Farm Assured certification to the premium Plus option will need animal health plans as part of their business.

Dan Brier, Beef + Lamb NZ’s GM for farming excellence, said an animal health plan (AHP) is an integral part of the NZFAP-Plus certification scheme.

The programme covers origin, traceability, food safety and animal welfare standards for global consumers and is jointly established by meat processors to streamline certification processes.

“Farmers wanting to be part of the Plus scheme would be well advised to have a good AHP.

“It would typically be put together between the farmer and their animal health expert, most

likely their veterinarian,” Brier said.

He said having a vet on board in a regular, consultative way is no different to having any other farm expert, whether it is an accountant or farm adviser, offering insightful, regular information.

“It just makes good sense.”

Sometimes farmers can be wary about engaging so proactively with their veterinarian in formulating an AHP, concerned it may result in a greater spend on animal remedies.

“But what it involves is often planning for prevention, which is always more cost effective than a cure. If you can go into setting an AHP understanding how to manage the use of certain vaccinations, for example, your vet knows your farm, knows your district and whether certain treatments will be necessary or not.”

The form of the plan doesn’t have to be the latest, highly

digitised version if that’s not what a farmer wishes to use.

“You can go low fidelity, keep it in a notebook, on a calendar on the office wall where it can be seen.

“More importantly, it should be a living document, not something that goes to the bottom drawer to be forgotten.”

With the rise in parasite resistance, more farmers are keen to integrate a parasite management plan well into their AHP.

“It is something we are now seeing a renewed interest in across the entire pastoral sector, not just in the sheep sector, as resistance starts to be seen in cattle and dairy cows.

“We are lucky to have people like Dave Leathwick who has been signalling this for years and no doubt he feels some frustration about it taking this long. But now we are on a burning platform, there is pressure to do something about it.”

VetSouth director Mark Bryan says

Proudly sponsored by

Calves golden again as market adjusts

After a hiatus of a few years some beef rearers are back in the game this season, soaking up the healthy margins.

FEEDER calf sales across the country are now well underway and so far, they haven’t disappointed. Changes to farming systems and farm sales over the past few years have put cattle numbers under pressure.

With little surplus cash and the high cost of rearing calves, more rearers had exited the market rather than entered over the past several years.

The lack of store and finished cattle has finally caught up, and now the need to rebuild cattle numbers has been encouraged by strong returns and positive schedules. This has meant some beef rearers are back in the game this season, as recent margins suggest it could well be worth doing.

We are now nearly a month into the calf sales, and the peak of throughput won’t hit until mid-August. However, early sales show tallies are well ahead of last season.

Tallies through North Island sales to August 1 are nearly 1200 ahead. These have been well received by the extra buyers, causing returns to lift.

The national bull kill is a strong focus as estimated slaughter statistics to July 6 show totals of 430,000-head, season to date. This is a 10% or 50,000-head drop on last season and 73,000-head behind the five-year average,

easily making it the largest drop of all the cattle classes this season.

This has increased attention on the Friesian bull calf market. At the early calf sales, Friesian bull calves were trading for up to $300/ head at best. These bull calves were likely snaffled up by rearers trying to do both early and lateseason calves.

As the season has progressed, returns have softened slightly, with $150-$210/head more common. But this still trends about $30-$60/head higher year on year, depending on calf condition.

The positive outlook for beef still makes them look pretty good buying. While it is typical for beef schedules to rise from this point of the year, they are averaging 5080c/kg above five-year averages across the country. This means there is a good margin to be made for beef finishers, on earlier brought cattle.

And it isn’t only the rearers and finishers making improved money; the current store market is running red-hot too. Record high slaughter prices have flowed on into the saleyards. Limited supply of R2 cattle means prices have soared and traditional R2 steers and bulls through the North Island are commonly trading for $1500-$1800, with up to $2000 paid in some cases.

Though these are record-high store prices, they are tracking fairly in line relative to schedule lifts. R1 cattle have often been $800-$1200, which is also very strong for this point of the year.

It isn’t only the rearers and finishers making improved money; the store market is running red-hot too.

The strength isn’t only stemming from more market value in schedules. The procurement battle to source cattle is a key driver. Although calf tallies have lifted, and it would seem more

will be reared this season, this still may not be enough to fulfill shortages over the coming years.

Combined, the 2022-23 national beef kill was about 10,000-head behind the five-year average and this was before the current true impacts of fewer calves being reared had hit.

Season to July 6 shows that the current national cattle slaughter is 55,600-head behind last season, largely driven by fewer bulls being finished to date this season.

Processors and agents don’t

believe these are still sitting in paddocks.

According to StatsNZ, the latest figures show that the national breeding cow herd has been on the decline, dropping 7%, or 425,000-head, to the end of June 2023 since 2018. Therefore, it would be safe to assume that over the next year or two the cattle shortage will become more prominent as the effects of fewer calf rearers through 2022 and 2023 come to a head, as well as a decline in calves born.

UPWARD: It would be safe to assume that over the next year or two the cattle shortage will become more prominent, says Sara Hilhorst, as the effects of fewer calf rearers through 2022 and 2023 come to a head, as well as a decline in calves born.

Sara Hilhorst MARKETS Livestock

Weekly saleyards

Beef is the flavour of the month and demand already has the store cattle market sizzling despite winter temperatures. A large yarding of nearly 300-head of R2 traditional steers pulled a crowd at Stortford Lodge on Wednesday. Manawatū and Bay of Plenty buyers were able to secure a few pens, but the lion’s share stayed local. Excluding just two pens, they earned $3.81-$3.89/kg across weights from 395kg to 504kg. It is not just traditional breeding experiencing demand – autumn-born weaners at Frankton were a hit on the same day and half a dozen pens, steers and bulls, traded over $7/kg.

Dannevirke | July 25 | 983 sheep

Feilding | July 26 | 1028 cattle, 9724 sheep $/kg or $/hd

Mixed-age beef cows, VIC, RWB, 519-588kg

R2 Angus steers, 416-524kg

R2 Angus bulls, 380-497kg

R2 dairy-beef heifers, 413-509kg

R1 beef, dairy-beef bulls, 232-333kg

R1 traditional heifers, 174-211kg

Mixed-age, 4-year Romney ewes, SIL 180-200% terminal, very good

4-5-year Romney ewes, SIL 130-156%, medium to good

AgriHQ market trends

Cattle Sheep

advantage of New Zealand’s most trusted independent agricultural market data ting and analysis, with a range of insightful agriculture and forestr y repor ts

Winter 2024: big and slow highs and lows

NEW Zealand’s in pretty good condition as we round the corner to spring weather conditions. Whether you go with September 1 or September 23rd as your official start to spring, it’s clear August is still winter technically – but NZ’s location on Earth means we can experience spring weather conditions this month (just ask someone who suffers from allergies thanks to pine pollen, which can often start in August).

The last week of July encapsulated what we said in our May update of ClimateWatch (our monthly outlooks). We expected a series of large highs and large lows to come through this winter, bringing real variety in weather, and in the final week of July we had a low pressure zone in the Tasman Sea which had a sub-Antarctic feed coming into the South Island and a subtropical feed coming into the North Island. No wonder New Zealanders can’t agree on if this winter has been much colder than usual or much warmer!

The larger an air pressure system is, the more “reach” it has – by that I mean it can scoop up air from Antarctica and dredge it into NZ, or drag down tropical air over us. Big lows are often seen as “stormier” but in reality they can be “lazy” and just hang around for a long time.

The model picks this high pressure zone to linger over NZ until the middle of August, meaning colder nights but milder and much drier days.

And “big” is the theme of this winter – because July not only had a high pressure zone so powerful it broke air pressure records in NZ that were 135 years old, but we’ve also had a number of very large low pressure zones that have brought heavy snow into both Australia and NZ, and warmer than usual rainfall for northern NZ.

So, back to August. There’s no shortage of big high pressure zones and this month has kicked off with a high moving in – the very same anticyclone that, a week ago, dredged up the snow and frosty

South Island change and made Sunday and Monday (August 5) colder in the North island.

It is actually splitting in half. The second half of this high (the main part of it) crosses NZ this week bringing changeable west to southwest winds over the lower half of NZ – but still plenty of settled weather too.

At the time of writing this column, the seven-day outlook for NZ was drier than average for most regions, with the exception of Northland and Fiordland – a sign that the incoming high is going to be elbowing away most rainmakers as we go into this new month.

The GFS model out of the United States picks this high pressure zone to linger over NZ until the middle of August, meaning colder nights but milder and much drier days. While we can’t lock in a forecast for two weeks away, the modelling I’m seeing right now shows this anticyclone finally departing NZ mid-month with a sub-tropical airflow coming in, then a low from the Tasman Sea.

We’ll see if that pans out or not, but either way, the winter of “big and slow” high and low air pressure zones continues.

FORECAST: This image shows expected rainfall accumulation over seven days, starting from 6am on Sunday August 4 through to 6am Sunday August 11.

Philip Duncan NEWS Weather