SOMEWHAT SOBER REFLECTIONS

Despite regular top ups, my glass has felt a little half empty lately, as opposed to its normal half (or mostly) full. I suspect many of you feel a bit the same.

The economic recovery from Covid has taken longer than we expected, costs are up, and productivity is down. The war in Ukraine, supply chain issues, workforce challenges, and increased input and production costs have all been exacerbated by flood and drought and increasingly volatile weather as the climate continues to change. Despite these challenges, food and fibre export revenue reached a record $53 billion last year, with the politicians suggesting our Country’s global brand is at an all-time high.

More recently China has relaxed its Covid restrictions, and the United States needs rebuilding following drought, giving us a renewed window of opportunity. The NZ dollar has crept higher, but beef prices look set to improve in the months ahead, and several alternative protein companies have started to struggle big time; their share prices have tumbled. I’ll drink to that.

Jacinda’s announcing that her tank was empty, almost got me feeling half full again. Christopher Luxon doesn’t drink but sounds more pragmatic about the business of farming and the impact

Government policy and cost increases are having on confidence. His tank seems to be gearing up to roll over the other Chris at the election this year.

So why am I so anxious? Perhaps it’s the Autumn leaves when there has been no summer sun or the atmospheric rivers that seem to cut swathes through the country. Perhaps it’s the urgent need for science-based solutions for methane or the trees being planted on our hill sides with seemingly gay abandon. Perhaps it’s the divisions within our sector about sustainability when we should be working more closely together.

As the song goes, sometimes if feels like we are running out of aces, when every hand can be a winner or a looser, the stakes seem to get higher every year. The future of our industry hangs in the balance and with it the future of our country. 2023 is going to require some strong and ‘preferably sober’ leadership, so let’s not leave it to chance, let’s pull together in the same direction. Now would somebody get me a drink!?