Canterbury Show New president Richard Lemon is looking forward to celebrating 150 years of history. page 23
animal health Britain’s battle with TB is a sharp reminder why NZ must never give up the fight to control the disease. page 33
Rural NEWS
Oz food plan Minister meets with Australian counterpart.
page 16
to all farmers, for all farmers
november 6, 2012: Issue 526
www.ruralnews.co.nz
Fishy judgement? p e te r bu r k e peterb@ruralnews.co.nz
APPEALS BY Federated Farmers and Horticulture New Zealand to the High Court over the Horizons Regional Council One Plan may have struck another snag. Rural News has discovered, through the court papers, that the High Court judge set down to hear the appeal, Judge Stephen Kos, has declared he “is the
holder of a New Zealand Sports Fishing Licence… and an electoral member of Fish and Game New Zealand”. Fish and Game is also a party to the appeals by Feds and HortNZ and Judge Kos’s appointment has raised some eyebrows. Both HortNZ and Federated Farmers declined to comment on the revelation about Judge Kos. Both have the right to ask that Judge Kos step aside from the appeal; neither would say whether they will do this.
But a former president of Federated Farmers, Charlie Pedersen, who has significant farming interests in the Horizons region, is not happy about the Judge Kos’s appointment. “If it was me in that situation I would declare that I am member of Fish and Game and ask to be excused from the case. Being a member of Fish and Game is probably just as inappropriate as if the judge was a member of Federated Farmers. It is about perception espe-
cially when the lines are so firmly drawn between farming interests and Fish and Game.” Pedersen says Fish and Game is a political lobby group, not just an organisation that looks after the interests of fishers and hunters. “They are a political organisation and that’s fine. I know people who won’t belong to Fish and Game any more because they don’t believe in their to page 3
Pam Strachan, owner of the Saleyards Café in Feilding, with some goodies that she hopes might entice Prince Charles and Camilla when the royal couple visit the Feilding saleyards later this month. The Saleyards Café is part of the yards complex and all the food is home-made, which should appeal to Charles who is heavily into organics. “Fush n’ chups” are a popular item on the menu, but HRH could also get a salad and even take the plate away as a souvenir! See page 31 for more on the Saleyards Café.
NAIT starts to grate a n d r ew swa l low andrews@ruralnews.co.nz
WIDESPREAD PROBLEMS with NAIT are emerging as spring stock movements accelerate. Some are due to farmers and saleyards failing to meet the system’s requirements; others are down to the system itself. As calf rearers seek to on-sell animals the issues are coming to a head, prompting suggestions the system is heading for a crash. “The whole thing needs to be looked at: it’s an absolute nightmare,” NZ Farmers Livestock agent Peter Jackson told Rural News. He estimates half the calves “transacted” either haven’t been NAIT tagged, or if tagged, the movement’s not been recorded. “A lot of dairy farmers have told [calf buyers] it’s their responsibility to tag the calves. That’s not correct.” Problems aren’t limited to calves. “Some yearlings which were [NAIT] tagged last year, and have gone to someone else, have now gone back to the original vendor on the NAIT system. It’s bloody confusing and doing a lot of stock agents’ heads in, I can tell you. I’m getting four or five calls a day on this. It’s going to take a hell of a lot of sorting out.” Large-scale calf rearers Mark and Michelle Bocock, Te Awamutu, say where they bought direct and took control of the NAIT registration process, they’ve had few problems, but it’s a different story with calves
SOMETIMES, A LITTLE BIT EXTRA MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE.
TRACTA39939-A
It’s the same with feeding your mid-lactation cows. While grass alone is good, supplementing it with the high quality protein in TopCow Dairy feed makes it great. It helps slow post-peak production decline, prepares your herd better for next season and increases the potential for extended financial returns over its lifetime. For more information on the benefits of TopCow Dairy, talk to your Ingham rep on 0800 650 505 or visit inghamfeeds.co.nz
QUALITY THAT DELIVERS BIG
to page 3