Scathing slash report takes aim at multiple parties – Aaron Smale :
Cyclone Gabrielle devastated many communities on the East Coast, but that disaster was made worse by debris from forestry harvesting. A ministerial inquiry into the issue has delivered a report that doesn’t pull any punches. Aaron Smale reports.
It can’t go on and we’ve got 10 years to sort it out before the damage will be irreversible. That was the message from a report on the impact of pine forestry on the Tairāwhiti/East Coast released on Friday.
The Ministerial Inquiry into Land Use in Tairāwhiti and Wairoa was chaired by former National MP Hekia Parata, who is Ngāti Porou, and its report gave a damning picture of how severe weather events like Cyclone Gabrielle have been made far worse by pine forestry.
The report was in response to the devastation caused by debris from forestry harvesting – often referred to as slash – that occurred during Cyclone Gabrielle, but has been an ongoing issues for a number of years. . .
DOC will get back on track when perverse rules are ditched – Peter Wilson :
The Department of Conservation needs to talk with the outdoor community who want to roll up their sleeves and help or there’ll be a fight to defend some of our greatest assets from the very organisation charged with protecting them
Opinion: The New Zealand backcountry is for many of us the place of our adventures, ambitions, and the backdrop and stage to our most poignant memories. It contains more than 900 huts and thousands of kilometres of tracks which have built up since people were walking through the landscape.
For the most part, they reflect who we are. Simple, rugged structures that withstand the elements, and have proven to be remarkably resilient. Many people have the not unreasonable view that our hut and track network is the best in the world, that it is at the core of our identity.
However, despite its core place in our national psyche, huts and tracks have never had an easy fit with the Crown accounts. This issue, dating back nearly 40 years, is now in sharp focus with the news that the Department of Conservation has a $300 million backlog of maintenance, with suggestions that huts and tracks may be divested, closed, or removed entirely. . .
Vegetable supplies looking good as winter approaches but weather still the wild card :
Vegetables New Zealand says vegetable supplies are looking good as winter approaches but ongoing unsettled weather across the country is still the wild card.
‘The weather’s been warm and wet as we head into winter when growing slows down,’ says Vegetables New Zealand Chair, John Murphy, in response to April 2023’s food price index issued by Statistics New Zealand today.
‘We have large and small vegetable growers spread across New Zealand. This helps the industry ensure continuity of supply, which is important as a severe weather event in one area might set that area back by up to three to four months, depending on the crop being grown, and there’s nothing our growers can do about that.
‘Last winter, we advised consumers to buy in season and that’s the advice we’re giving again as we move into the colder and darker months. . .
ANZCO Foods lifts performance on value-add business growth :
ANZCO Foods has continued its drive to deliver more value from its business with annual results reporting turnover of $1.90b (2021 $1.64b), and net profit before tax of $147.7m (2021 $75.0m) for the 2022 financial year.
“This result reflects a continued focus on core business activities, growing returns from strategic investments and the hard work and dedication of our people who have continued to deliver through challenging times,” says ANZCO Foods Chief Executive Peter Conley.
“ANZCO Foods has a core focus on ensuring livestock is procured to meet customer expectations, and this has enabled the company to capitalise on the strong demand globally for premium beef and lamb. Our attention to supporting key customer relationships and delivering improved revenue streams from our value-add business investments are also big contributors to the strong performance. Other challenges continued during the year, including ongoing impacts from Covid-19, labour shortages, inflationary pressure, and continued supply chain disruption with our team working tirelessly to ensure the effects of these were minimised.
“Our healthcare business has been strengthened with the acquisition of Moregate Biotech which has complemented our existing work at Bovogen, and accelerated our capacity, expertise and customer set in the healthcare and bioscience sector.” . . .
Lab-grown meat up to 25 times worse for the environment than beef – Ben Taub :
Growing burgers and steaks from cultured cells may be seen as the future of the meat industry, but a new analysis indicates that the mass-production of lab-grown meat using current technologies could be considerably worse for the environment than real beef. At present, animal cell-based meat (ACBM) is only produced at a very small scale and at an economic loss, although the as yet un-peer-reviewed study suggests that scaling up the process could release between four and 25 times more emissions than the global beef industry.
According to the study authors, “[billions of] investment dollars have specifically been allocated to [the ACBM] sector with the thesis that this product will be more environmentally friendly than beef.” However, while it’s true that lab-grown meat eliminates the land, water, and antibiotic requirements of cattle raising, the researchers explain that much of the interest in cultured meat has been driven by inaccurate analyses of carbon emissions.
The problem, they say, is that many of these reports have modeled the climate impact of ACBM using technologies that either don’t exist or are unlikely to work. For instance, one often-cited study estimated the carbon emissions of ACBM production using cyanobacteria hydrolysate as a feedstock for the cells. However, the researchers of this latest analysis explain that “this is not a technology or feedstock that is currently used for animal cell proliferation, nor is it one that is currently near feasibility.”
Other much-hyped reports have attempted to analyze the environmental impact of cultured meat produced with food-grade growing medium components. However, at present, the process is only possible using pharmaceutical-grade nutrient mixes, which are purified to a much higher level. . .
Innovators to explore global aquaculture potential through Launchpad programme :
Five innovative organisations from New Zealand have been selected to accelerate their growth in global aquaculture, including attendance at the world’s biggest aquaculture trade show, through a launchpad programme delivered by Hatch Innovation Services in partnership with NZTE.
The Global innovation launchpad for New Zealand aquaculture, led by Hatch Innovation Services in partnership with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise – Te Taurapa Tūhono (NZTE), is designed to empower New Zealand companies with top-quality coaching and networking to help them scale up and maximise their potential in the global aquaculture market.
The five confirmed participants in the launchpad programme are:
- Aqua Mould Systems NZ Limited – www.qyster.co.nz
- FoodCap International Limited – www.foodcap.com
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Ltd – www.plantandfood.com
- Riverwatch – www.riverwatchsolutions.com
- Whiore Enterprises Limited – www.whiore.co.nz. . .
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