News

in brief No Mānuka appeal

THE Mānuka Charitable Trust will not appeal the Intellectual Property Office of NZ’s decision preventing the term “Mānuka honey” from being the sole property of New Zealand honey producers.

The ruling last month was prompted by Australian honey producers, who said the term is not the exclusive domain of NZ producers. The trust said it has decided not to appeal on technicalities but is considering its next steps.

Fertiliser prices drop

Fertiliser co-operatives Ballance AgriNutrients and Ravensdown have announced further reductions in the price of nitrogenbased fertiliser products.

Both companies have reduced urea by $100 a tonne. “We know you are facing cost challenges and margin squeezes in your business, and we are committed to doing all we can to help,” Ballance agri-nutrients general manager of sales Jason Minkhorst told farmers.

Dairy index unchanged

The Global Dairy Trade price index remained unchanged after the second fortnightly June auction, underpinned by whole milk powder prices that were unmoved.

Within the components of the GDT index, falls in skim milk powder and cheddar were balanced by a 5.5% increase for butter. SMP was down 2.3%, cheddar down 3.3% and anhydrous milk fat up 0.5%.

Freshwater reform

The government is for a third time seeking input into changes to Essential Freshwater reforms, this time to do with the slope maps used to determine stock exclusion.

The reforms were introduced in 2020 but last year the maps were revised to improve how low-slope land is identified. Further potential changes have been announced to exempt low-intensity farming and ensure the maps cover the slopes and farm types intended.

MOVE FAST: Recovering food production capacity cannot be left to the government, says Natalie Whitaker. ‘We need to move faster than the politics.’

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Longer-term, Whitaker implored the industry to approach Scope 3 emissions in a just manner.

“If you have net-zero targets –we’re concerned that the cost will be pushed down to the Scope 3 players and they can’t afford it.

“The challenge must be turned into a massive opportunity for resilience and generosity.

“If you have a hard-to-solve emissions problem, we can put some of your future carbon credit budget to work now. It will be amazing to claim we can produce nature-positive food in the future, but that’s not the case now. Let’s prove the sceptics wrong and prove we can pay for what’s needed.”

Whitaker said the East Coast holds the key to how NZ can prosper.

“Gizzy is to NZ what NZ is to the rest of the world. Every primary industry sector is represented there. If the East Coast can’t nail a just transition then I’m unsure if there’s any hope for any other region.

“More events like Gabrielle are coming, which is why we need a monumental recovery for the East Coast now. Failure is not an option.”

No break from rain for farmers

Neal Wallace NEWS Weather