21 minute read
Luxton ready for new role
Luxton ready for committee role
Colin Williscroft colin.williscroft@globalhq.co.nz
THE new chair of the Primary Production select committee says she hopes to restore the trust farmers have in the Government.
Labour MP for Rangitata Jo Luxton, who spent part of the last parliamentary term as the committee’s deputy chair, says some of that trust has been lost and she wants to help build it back up again.
Luxton says she made a conscious effort during her first three years in parliament to build a relationship with the sector in Mid-Canterbury, including visiting local farmers and attending Federated Farmers meetings when possible.
Having shifted to the Ashburton area from Bay of Plenty in 1996 when working in the dairy industry, she is more familiar with the dairy sector than she is with sheep and beef and cropping, but is planning to change that.
Joining Luxton on the committee are fellow Labour MPs Steph Lewis (Whanganui) and Anna Lorck (Tukituki), National’s David Bennett (list) and Ian
Gerald Piddock gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz
FARMERS are being warned to make sure they have an adequate facial eczema (FE) management plan in place after the first spore counts of the year topped nearly 1.2 million from one grass sample in Matamata.
The maximum spore counts analysed by Hamilton-based
Gribbles Veterinary on January 14 also reached 30,000 in Franklin and Tauranga, 120,000 in
Waikato, 35,0000 in Waitomo and 150,000 on the East Coast.
In the second week of monitoring, samples collected from farms in Waihi, Franklin,
Hauraki, Whitianga, Rotorua, McKelvie (Rangitikei) and Act’s Mark Cameron (list).
At this stage, the committee members have not sat down to look at what business from the previous committee they want to continue with.
She says they will probably wait until Agriculture Minister Damien
Whakatane, Tauranga, Hamilton,
Morrinsville, Waipa, Waitomo,
New Plymouth and Gisborne were all higher than the 30,000 spores/gram threshold at which veterinarians recommend farmers take action against facial eczema.
The warm, wet summer has been ideal growing conditions for the fungus Pithomyces chartarum to grow in pastures.
The fungus produces toxic spores, which are then eaten by sheep and cattle, causing liver and skin damage, and death if left unprotected.
Beef +Lamb NZ’s senior advisor for biosecurity and animal welfare Will Halliday says farmers should be undertaking
HAPPY: Jo Luxton is pleased to be back on the Primary Production select committee.
O’Connor settles on his agenda first.
Luxton is pleased to be back on the Primary Production select committee.
After being its deputy chair for the first nine months of last term she was moved to the same role on the Economic Development, weekly monitoring and putting management strategies in place to prevent stock being affected by this production-limiting disease.
“While facial eczema spore monitoring has just begun for the 2021 season, nationally they are nearly twice as high as they were in January in the previous three years, indicating that if these climatic conditions continue, this could be shaping up for a bad year for facial eczema.”
DairyNZ general manager of farm performance Sharon Morrell says it appeared at this early stage the high spore counts were in isolated patches only, with some regions receiving zero spore count readings.
“It is quite pockety. It’s not Science and Innovation select committee for about a year and then took on the same role on the Regulations Review select committee for a similar amount of time.
She says when she was last on the committee there was a real camaraderie among its members, more so than some other committees.
“I missed it (Primary Production). It was one I really enjoyed,” Luxton said.
She was very happy when rung by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern after the last election and offered the committee’s chair, as it is a good fit for her not only personally because of her previous experience but also because of where she lives in the Rangitata electorate, which contains significant rural areas.
If her own polling at the last election is anything to go by, Luxton may be in a good place to bridge any gap between the Government and rural communities.
From being more than 6000 votes behind National’s Andrew Falloon at the 2017 election, Luxton was more than 4000 ahead of National candidate Megan
facial eczema.
universal,” she said.
“The message is though – regardless of whether spore counts are high or not – people should be given the amount of Hands at last year’s election, the first time a Labour candidate had won the seat.
She says her first term, as a list MP, was invaluable in terms of fact finding, learning the routines of parliament and the parliamentary cycle.
Jo Luxton
“Nothing can prepare you for being an MP. It can be exciting, challenging and scary,” she said.
“It’s also a privilege.
“I’m far more confident now than what I was.
“This term is a good opportunity to cement some of the relationships I’ve made.”
Luxton is also a member of the Education and Workforce select committee, both areas of interest
FE spore counts hit 1.2m in Matamata
ADVICE: Beef + Lamb NZ and DairyNZ say farmers should vigilantly monitor and put management strategies in place to prevent stock being affected by
for the primary sector. debris that’s around on some farms and given how warm and damp it’s been, they should be doing their preventative measures already.”
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Concerns over shearer ‘bidding wars’
Gerald Piddock gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz
REPORTS of unofficial bidding wars among Australian farmers to secure shearers has a New Zealand shearing boss worried it could lure Kiwi shearers across the Tasman to chase the money, leaving the industry short-staffed.
The shortage of shearers in Australia due to covid-19 restrictions meant some farmers were paying shearers 20-50% premiums per sheep above the usual rate, the ABC reported.
Shearing Contractors Association of Australia secretary Jason Letchford told ABC farmers were offering shearers A$4$5/head to shear sheep. The minimum pay rate to shear a sheep in Australia is A$3.24.
Prior to the covid-19 border restrictions, these jobs would have been taken up by NZ shearers.
New Zealand Shearing Contractors Association (NZSCA) president Mark Barrowcliffe says he heard stories of shearers being offered big money to work in Australia. If they decide to leave and chase that money, it will impact on the industry.
“As a shearer you do chase fine weather, and you chase sheep and money,” he said. “Australia has good weather and if they are going to keep throwing (dollar) notes under the noses of our shearers, then definitely, they are going to look at going.
“It’s nervous times because we Changes coming to TB testing are a talented workforce and the more you hear about these stories in Australia – where there’s smoke there’s fire, and we have to be very mindful of it, we’re only just hanging in there ourselves.”
He described current staffing levels across the industry as “skinny.”
Most of the shearing in the North Island had finished with shearers travelling south for work on cross-bred and Merino farms.
“We’re running very light on shed hands, that is a worry, especially with that highend Merino preparation and specialised Merino shearers. They will be the ones chased by Australia,” he said.
The next pressure point on that industry would be the middle to the later part of the year for prelamb shearing.
The pay increase from two years ago has helped keep them here, and the handful of Northern Hemisphere shearers that were able to come to NZ this season ensured the industry was able to get by with just enough staff, he says.
“If you decide to go now, you’re probably not going to come back and that’s a very real fear for NZ that they can lose staff over there because of the continuity of work. There’s money
BIDDING WAR: Australian farmers are offering a 20-50% per sheep premium to shearers, sparking concerns that New Zealand shearers could leave and travel across the Tasman to chase the money on offer.
being waved at them and they’re just wanted.”
Barrowcliffe’s farmer contacts in Australia had long-standing relationships with shearers they used. While there was a shortage, he understood they were coping, but the pressure was definitely on.
Some of the more remote sheep stations in Australia were probably finding it difficult to secure the services of shearers, which meant they were offering more.
What was keeping them here was the quarantine rules and travel restrictions, which meant shearers would have to pay $3100 upon return for managed isolation costs.
There are also plans by the Government to establish a transTasman bubble in the first quarter
of this year. Dairy prices continue rise
OSPRI is making changes to its TB testing programme, placing greater emphasis on areas that are viewed as higher risk.
From February 9 the frequency of on-farm testing will change for some farmers based on different levels of risk, which will see testing frequency increasing in higher risk areas and decreasing in those that have lower possum-related risk.
The level of risk will be determined by criteria including an area’s herd infection history, its proximity to possum infection risk and sources of livestock movements into herds.
That information is based on TB surveillance undertaken through on-farm testing, carcase inspection and at meat processing plants.
Ospri general manager for disease management Simon Andrew says it uses the information to determine what animals should be tested, where and when.
“It also enables us to track the movement of animals with different risk levels,” he said, adding that the new approach makes more efficient use of the wider industry’s investment of farmer levies in the TB programme.
Andrew says the new approach, which has been piloted on deer herds since 2018, is a natural progression as the TB eradication programme has reduced the number of infected herds, so a broad testing programme is no longer the most efficient method of detecting TB infection.
“It makes more sense to focus resources in the area where the risk is higher,” he said.
“Improved animal traceability, through farmers engaging more with Nait, means we can better track animals with a higher disease risk, and test less often in low risk areas.”
The changes to the testing frequency will be rolled out in areas of lowest risk – herds currently tested every three years in vector-free areas.
For beef and dairy farmers in low-risk surveillance areas, the changes will mean less frequent testing for herds.
TB testers will contact those farmers before their next TB test. Additional on-farm testing may be required if animals entering their herd originated from a C1 status herd.
Deer herds in lower risk areas, currently tested every three years, will no longer be tested on-farm but will be monitored through meat processing plant inspection.
Andrew says less testing does not mean a greater risk of TB.
He says risk is managed in a number of ways, including possum control in risk areas, tracking and testing stock moving from higher risk to lower risk herds, and identifying any infections early to limit the spread.
The changes are not expected to have any immediate effects on farmers or daily activities at the farm gate.
Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz
DEMAND from China for milk powder and a resurgent appetite for milk fat products in several markets has lifted dairy prices to recent record levels.
The Global Dairy Trade (GDT) index rose 4.8% in the second auction of January and has now risen 17% over the past three months.
The index is the highest it has been since May 2014, incorporating the highest whole milk powder (WMP) average since December 2016.
In the latest auction WMP climbed a steady 2.2% and skim milk powder jumped 7%, up US$200 to $3243/tonne.
But they were overshadowed by anhydrous milk fat rocketing up 17.2% to $5398 and sister product butter rose 4.6% to $4735.
Westpac senior agrieconomist Nathan Penny says the milkfat products responded to renewed demand from restaurants.
“Over the last four months, AMF and butter prices have jumped a whopping 38% and 44%, respectively,” Penny said.
“This is a key development as it demonstrates that demand for products consumed in restaurants and other foodservice settings has returned.”
He says dairy markets have put covid-19 well and truly in the rear-vision mirror.
“From here, we expect the price momentum has further to run, as global dairy supply takes time to respond to price lifts,” he said.
Westpac added 50c to its forecast of this season’s farm gate milk price, now $7.50/kg milksolids.
It expects that global dairy product prices will remain firm for the rest of this season and that next season would start with a $7.25 forecast.
Penny says the long-run milk price expectation was now $7 rather than $6 and as that became built into business plans, the backlog of dairy farm sales would clear and land prices would increase.
“However, I don’t see a return of the 2013-14 clamour for dairy expansion because alternative land uses are attractive – horticulture, sheep and beef, and forestry,” he said.
Rabobank dairy analyst Emma Higgins says China this month had lifted its buying of milk powder by one-third compared with January 2020.
She noted the jump in milkfat product prices, but did not read too much into the China foodservice recovery story.
The important Chinese New Year period was about to kick off and covid-19 outbreaks prompted some local authorities to restrict travel and caution against eating out.
NZX dairy analyst Amy
OPTIMISM: Higher dairy prices will hang around, Westpac analyst Nathan Penny says.
Castleton says the forecast model milk price rose 16c to $7.53 after the GDT auction, along with the reaction by the derivatives market.
The September 2021 milk price futures contract is now at $7.25 and the 2022 contract price is $7.05.
NZX expressed some apprehension that the high dairy product prices would last long enough to deliver a $7.50plus milk price at the end of the season.
“Shipping delays may be the reason we have seen strong GDT results recently, which may mean buyers will step away shortly,” she said.
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Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz
FARMERS are looking at their land and businesses differently following a sustainability trial piloted by sheep and beef farmers.
The Red Meat Profit Partnership (RMPP) project pilot is aimed at testing continuous improvement practices for making on-farm management decisions that will prepare farmers for the coming regulatory environment.
Building on the success of the New Zealand Farm Assurance Programme (NZFAP), the piloted NZFAP Plus Standard covered land and water management, greenhouse gases (GHG), biodiversity, biosecurity and people management.
The pilot programme was carried out by 33 farmers to determine the achievability, cost, and benefits of the draft standard. The results highlighted support for the initiative and potential gains.
Project manager Alan McDermott says the farmers also provided valuable insights that will help with the implementation of the programme.
The draft standard gave many of the pilot farmers the confidence to act, including reinforcing and validating they were on the right track, opportunities for improvement and a clear direction and framework to follow for making decisions about resource management.
“This is something farmers have been seeking, with farmers saying it is necessary and timely,” McDermott said.
“Farmers reported the standard provided a foundation for clear, precise and consistent communication with their farm team, including their bankers, advisors, employees and communities, while supporting proactive and planned decisionmaking.”
It also provides a clear means for farmers to underpin the Fit for a Better World and Te Taiao strategy, as well as processors’ marketing strategies.
The standard supported the farmers to make farm system changes to protect and enhance their natural resources, which will ensure sustainable production in the future.
“It meant they felt much more prepared for the coming regulatory environment,” he said.
As a result of the trial, McDermott says most of the pilot farmers are now looking at their land and business differently.
“The existing knowledge of farmers must be acknowledged, there are many examples of excellence highlighting that many farmers are well down this path already,” he said.
“This includes relatively mundane things such as siting water troughs to avoid negative impacts, but also connecting all the various aspects of natural resource management of land, water, GHG and biodiversity and seeing how addressing those in an integrated manner makes good business and environmental sense.”
TRIAL: The pilot programme was carried out by 33 farmers. Project manager Alan McDermott says the farmers also provided valuable insights that will help with the implementation of the programme.
The areas in which farmers have the most progress to make include biodiversity management, GHG management, nutrient management, and having detailed understanding of their natural resources through comprehensive farm mapping and biosecurity management.
The pilot assisted several farmers to identify additional biosecurity risks, especially from plant pests, and new ways of managing those.
Biosecurity procedures were rarely documented in the past beyond an animal health plan. Documentation was the main area requiring attention.
“This requires digital solutions that farmers can use to simplify planning, record-keeping and monitoring,” he said.
“Establishing such solutions needs to be a high priority for the sector.”
Farmers made good progress on soil health assessments using the Visual Soil Assessment (VSA) approach and winter management recording, reflecting the value farmers saw in these activities.
The cost to farmers in preparing for NZFAP Plus varied widely from several hundred dollars up to $16,000, where farmers needed to bring in professional support to map their farm, complete a nutrient-GHG budget and develop a comprehensive action plan covering land, water, GHG and biodiversity.
There will be ongoing costs associated with outcome monitoring, but the greatest cost for farmers will be the continued implementation of their environmental action plans.
“There is no doubt that constructing such a comprehensive farm plan is a challenge, will take time, and many farmers will require significant support,” he said.
“However, it is the best pathway through which farmers can create a legacy and own their future.
“Farmer ownership of farm planning is essential for widespread uptake and success.”
The RMPP programme will finish on March 31.
NZFAI is further developing and refining the standard into an operational assurance programme.
9
Collaboration key to food security
Colin Williscroft colin.williscroft@globalhq.co.nz
FARMERS have an important role to play in developing food security policies, Apec Business Advisory Council (ABAC) chair Rachel Taulelei says.
In a speech to a webinar on public-private partnerships and information sharing on food security in the Asia-Pacific late last year, Taulelei, who is chief executive of Maori food and beverage producer Kono, said the public and private sectors need to work together on practical steps that can be taken to improve food security.
“Indeed it is the ABAC’s firm belief that we need to look at these complex issues from the ‘whole of system’ perspective,” Taulelei said.
“Policymakers make a valuable contribution to solving these issues, of course, but we also need to take into account the views of farmers – big and small – as well as food processors, food distributors, exporters and importers.
“The supply side of the food equation is, quite simply, impossible without the private sector,” she said.
Taulelei says the challenge of food security has become an increasingly urgent and complex task, with the covid-19 pandemic having significant effects on production, distribution and trade in agriculture and food.
“We have experienced huge disruption across different food sectors and throughout the food value chain,” she said.
“For example, meat processing plants in many economies have had to contend with worker illness and social distancing requirements, horticulture sectors in many economies have struggled to find labour, ports have been disrupted and foodservice sectors, such as restaurants and school cafeterias, have been shuttered.”
But she says even before covid
URGENT: Apec Business Advisory Council (ABAC) chair Rachel Taulelei says the challenge of food security has become an increasingly urgent and complex task due to the covid-19 pandemic.
Policymakers make a valuable contribution to solving these issues, of course, but we also need to take into account the views of farmers, as well as food processors, food distributors, exporters and importers.
Rachel Taulelei Kono
there were a raft of challenges to ensuring safe, sufficient and affordable food for everyone.
They include feeding a growing population, lower crop yields, inadequate infrastructure, food loss and waste through the supply chain, protectionism and market distortions, and the increasingly disruptive effect of climate change.
Taulelei says it is crucial to build strong foundations for the way food moves across borders.
“That means getting rid of unjustified export restrictions, reducing or eliminating tariffs and non-tariff barriers, trying to reduce distortions in production and enhancing transparency in food production, distribution and trade flows,” she said.
“At a practical level, enhancing the digital facilitation of trade will help supply chains for the better – for example through the universal acceptance of e-certificates, the use of global data standards, or through the region-wide adoption of digital single windows.”
Another practical step would be to implement a mechanism to identify and resolve non-tariff barriers to food trade, which could be based on the cross-cutting principles for non-tariff measures developed by ABAC and taken up by Apec leaders a few years ago.
“Finally, it is also vital for Apec to tackle the root cause of trade distortions by committing to a meaningful cut in trade distorting domestic support in agriculture,” she said.
She says this is a core element in ABAC’s World Trade Organisation (WTO) statement last year.
Although the covid-19 pandemic has created huge challenges, it did deliver one silver lining – demonstrating the huge potential for food security and digitalisation.
“Digital tools for precision agriculture help farmers to become more efficient and supply chains more resilient and lower cost,” she said.
Smart farming can also mean that agriculture treads more lightly on the planet, which helps with the challenges of low yields, environmental sustainability and inadequate infrastructure.
E-commerce and digital payment systems enable farmers and producers to connect directly with consumers, which can unlock opportunities for smallholders, small agrifood businesses, women and indigenous communities.
She says in ABAC’s view this points to the need to prioritise further investment in digital infrastructure and capacity building.
“In time, that will allow us to make greater use of innovative technologies such as The Internet of Things (IoT), big data analytics, artificial intelligence, cognitive computing and blockchain,” she said.
“These tools can unlock even greater productivity gains and value-chain efficiency for all.”
ABAC recognises the importance of transparency in production, consumption and trade.
“Digital tools are crucial in this, too,” she said.
“If we are to utilise real-time data we can track fluctuations in production and trends within and across markets more effectively.
“That helps to anticipate future food supply disruptions and needs.”
She says sustainable or even regenerative approaches to production – taking into account water, soil, carbon and waste – are crucial.
“This is not just about satisfying consumer demand for more sustainable food, although of course we can create value by leveraging particular product attributes and meeting customers’ needs in that way,” she said.
“But this goes far beyond merely commercial considerations.
“Sustainability is quite simply the right thing to do.
“It must be the foundation of food security for the sake not only of this generation, but also the sake of our children and our children’s children.
“We must treasure the planet, even as we make use of its natural resources.”
KEEP AN EYE OUT
The latest Dairy Farmer hits letterboxes on February 1.
Our OnFarmStory this month features Waikato dairy farmers Allan and Toni Browne who’ve ventured into sheep milking.
1
FEBRUARY 2021 | $8.95
Learning new tricks Waikato dairy farmer diversifies into sheep milking
PLUS: Helping cows get in calf
➜ Half a million inseminations➜ Sharing the ups and downs➜ Meeting environmental regulations
