MANAGEMENT
MACHINERY & PRODUCTS
NEWS
Tall grass proves its versatility.
Little to dislike from the latest Land Cruiser 70 series. PAGE 31
The value of the dairy industry to New Zealand’s economy. PAGE 7
PAGE 25
TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS MARCH 7, 2017: ISSUE 625
www.ruralnews.co.nz
Brexit focus for Beef + Lamb NZ PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz
“THERE IS absolutely no question that Brexit is something we are focused on,” says Beef + Lamb NZ chairman James Parsons. “There are a lot of factors in how this thing can play out,” he told the recent Agcarm conference in Auckland. “We are watching this closely. We have staff based in Brussels and we are looking at having more of a footprint
up there. While there is risk, there is also opportunity. We are [intent on] preserving our current interests.” Parsons also chairs the NZ Meat Board, a slimmed down version of the old Meat Board. It looks administration of our sheepmeat quota into the EU, our beef quota into the US and a very small, high-quality beef quota into
the EU – about 1300 tonnes. The sheepmeat quota is 228,000 tonnes, so the EU takes 50% of NZ’s sheepmeat exports, a significant portion of which the UK takes about half. He says there is a bunch of scenarios as to how this could play out. The European Union and UK – in its own right – are members of the
FEDS IN THE RED? PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz
World Trade Organisation (WTO). The sheepmeat deal done years ago was compensation for UK entering the European Community. “Under the WTO, they have an obligation to honour that agreement. So it is not just a case of the EU or the UK saying ‘you can’t have it anymore’. It is TO PAGE 3
Roasted piggery A FORMER pig farm in Horowhenua once covertly investigated by animal rights activists is gone. The farm, beside SH1 at Kuku, south of Levin, was once filmed by comedian Mike King to show the plight of sows in crates. In late February, the new owner of the property, commercial grower John Clark, unexpectedly put a match to the buildings and burned the complex to the ground. This surprised the locals, who had no warning. The blaze attracted lots of onlookers, especially those heading to the RNZAF air show at Ohakea, near Bulls. Clark is understood to be planning to dispose of the steel remains then convert the 70ha site to growing brassica crops. – Peter Burke
SPECULATION ABOUT the state of Federated Farmers’ financial position has some sources claiming it is facing a deficit of up to $700,000 this year. However, Feds president William Rolleston has told Rural News the organisation is “close to budget”. Contributing to the predicted deficit are a fall in subscriptions, a drop in the sale of contracts and the purchase of a new computer system. Asked what the budgeted deficit was, Rolleston says this would not be revealed until the audited accounts are presented at the organisation’s annual meeting in June. Rural News has sought detailed information from Feds about its finances since a significant change of personnel in 2015-16. Of the four people appointed at the time, four have left. At least one person was also made redundant. Rolleston denies there has been a ‘restructuring’. However, a human resource expert spoken to by Rural News about the situation at Feds says what occurred was a restructuring, though it might have been a ‘soft restructuring’. This is where people leave soon after a new chief executive or board takeover. Rolleston won’t say what the costs of these changes have been to the organisation, insisting there never was a ‘restructuring’. TO PAGE 3
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