Rural round-up

01/12/2022

Expect NZ food and fibre to be a campaign battleground in 2023 – KPMG – Jamie Gray:

New Zealand can expect food and fibre to be a campaign battleground at next year’s general election, consultant KPMG says.

In its latest issue of Agri Agenda, timed for the start of New Zealand’s biggest agricultural event, Fieldays, KPMG’s global head of agribusiness Ian Proudfoot said 2023 was shaping up to be a difficult year.

“As we move into Election 2023, we can expect battlegrounds to appear around areas of political tension,” he wrote in the foreword of Agri Agenda.

“It is reasonable to expect our food and fibre sector will become a campaign battleground given existing tensions in the sector (particularly in relation to climate policy) which brings with it the risk of entrenching divisions amongst farmers and growers across the country and between urban and rural communities,” Proudfoot said. . . 

Sainsbury lamb leg price explained – Reece Brick :

A picture doing the rounds on social media recently showing the cost of a lamb leg in one UK supermarket has definitely hit a nerve with many New Zealanders.

The picture shows what would be considered a low price and at half the usual UK retail value. This created plenty of chatter and concerns over the pricing differential between the two countries. But digging deeper for the facts shows that for starters that price was a Christmas special at only one supermarket for £6.50/kg – in NZ dollars that’s $12.50/kg. You can pick up lamb legs from Countdown this week for less than that.

Secondly, the odds of all the lamb legs being solely from NZ are slim, because the online listing specifically states that the leg of lamb could be NZ or British.

Thirdly, that promotion being run is easily the cheapest offering through the UK supermarkets. A quick skim through the four major supermarket’s websites has almost all other lamb legs going for £9.50-£13.50/kg, which works out to be NZ$18.30-$26/kg based on the exchange rate at the time of writing. That puts PaknSave and New World at the lower-end of this range this week at $19-$21/kg online. . .

Lipstick with New Zealand strong wool a world first :

New Zealand-based company Wool Source and leading lipstick brand Karen Murrell have teamed up to create an unexpected new avenue for strong wool – a lipstick coloured with wool keratin-based pigment.

This collaboration marks the first product to be created and commercially available using Wool Source’s drop-in ingredient and is believed to be a world-first in beauty.

Wool Source Chief Executive Tom Hooper says, “We’re excited that the first product using our ingredient is coming to market in New Zealand and will be something New Zealanders and growers can get behind.

“By collaborating with an experienced and respected brand like Karen Murrell, we’ve been able to test the performance of our pigment with a rigorous product development process and we’re delighted that it’s created a product that Karen and her team are excited by and keen to promote.” . . 

Red meat sector exports to Italy increase 244 per cent in October :

New Zealand’s red meat sector exports to Italy increased by 244 per cent in October, compared with 2021, with demand for sheepmeat and beef hides soaring, according to an analysis by the Meat Industry Association (MIA).

Overall, red meat exports for the month were worth $737 million, a six per cent increase on October last year. China was again the largest market, at $290m, followed by the US ($134m), Japan ($32m) and then Italy ($26m). Exports to Canada were also up 82 per cent on last October by value, to $22m.

MIA Chief Executive Sirma Karapeeva said that October had been a steady month for exports, with Italy the stand-out change from 2021.

“Italy is an important market for beef hides, which are used for the manufacturing of luxury goods. The value of these exports increased from $5.6m last October to $19.5m this October and this was the highest monthly value for more than four years. . . 

Zespri releases climate change adaption plan :

Zespri has today released its first ever Climate Change Adaptation Plan – Adapting to Thrive in a Changing Climate – outlining how the kiwifruit industry intends to adapt to a changing climate in New Zealand and in its offshore growing locations.

Developed in consultation with growers and the wider kiwifruit industry, the Climate Change Adaptation Plan (the Plan) establishes a framework for the industry’s long-term approach to adaptation and is a response to Zespri’s Climate Change Risks and Opportunities Report which was published in 2021.

Zespri Chief Grower, Industry and Sustainability Officer Carol Ward says the Plan reflects Zespri’s ongoing commitment towards transitioning to a low-carbon, climate-resilient future.

“We know the climate is changing which brings challenges and opportunities for our industry and its important that we look at how we can ensure the kiwifruit industry remains climate-resilient. . . 

Ravensdown proud to partner with New Zealand Leadership Coalition to tackle agricultural emissions :

Ravensdown has today shown its commitment to the future of New Zealand farming by uniting with Government and leading New Zealand agribusinesses to address the challenge of climate change and sustainability.

The Joint Venture (JV) leadership coalition, launched by the Prime Minister at Fieldays today, sees Government partner with agribusiness leaders at scale to help New Zealand lower agricultural emissions.

The line-up of JV partners, ANZCO Foods, Fonterra, Rabobank, Ravensdown, Silver Fern Farms, and Synlait, represent the full spectrum of the food and fibre industry, giving Government insight and access to the entire farm-to-consumer-to-investor value chain.

Garry Diack, Ravensdown Chief Executive Officer, says the industry owes it to farmers to partner, invest and collaborate to help solve the most significant challenge of our time. . . 


Rural round-up

26/11/2018

Does Russia belong in the West or the East? – Keith Woodford:

The issue of whether Russia belongs in the West or the East might seem a strange topic for a New Zealand agri-food systems person like me to be discussing. However, political and food systems, and the associated international trade, are joined at the hip. Politics and agricultural trade are always fellow travellers.

These last two weeks, while working in Russia, I have pondered as to where Russia belongs. From a cultural perspective, I have no doubt it is in the West. Yet from a geopolitical perspective it would seem that Russia’s future is more with China in the East. Here, I explore the dichotomy and the contradiction.

Milk flush is depressing prices – Hugh Stringleman:

Record milk collection in New Zealand over the October peak has continued to depress Global Dairy Trade prices, which, in turn, threaten a reduction in the farmgate milk price closer to $6/kg.

The GDT index fell 3.5% after the auction on November 21, the twelfth consecutive fall or sideways movement since mid-May.

World prices are now 20% below their 2018 peak and 12% lower than this time last year.

Plenty of cattle left – Neal Wallace:

Stirring international and domestic storms have conspired to undercut bull beef prices.

A combination of falling United States prices in the last two months, processors trying to maintain margins and farmers being careful with stock purchases because of Mycoplasma bovis have reduced demand and prices, AgriHQ market analyst Reece Brick says.

At a recent Feilding calf sale those bred on the vendor’s property were $30 to $40 ahead of calves that weren’t. . .

The green, green grass of Maniototo – Jono Edwards:

Green fields in the usually-barren Maniototo have some farmers casting their minds back to the 1970s.

Unusually high rainfall, including a recent heavy downpour, was welcome news for the industry after months of dry heat last year.

Gimmerburn farmer Duncan Helm said things were looking “bloody magnificent”

Mataura Valley’s multimillion-dollar milk plant opens – Margaret Phillips:

The official opening of the $240 million Mataura Valley Milk plant at McNab brought guests from all corners of the globe today.

 MVM general manager Bernard May said the plant was forecast to pour about $90 million annually, directly or indirectly, into the South’s economy. Its major shareholder is the China Animal Husbandry Group. . .

Will Argentina be the first country approving a GMO wheat? -Javier Preciado Patiño:

 “We mustn’t do what other countries have already done; we must do what no other country did” Self-confident and why not a little bit provoker, the CEO of Bioceres, Mr. Federico Trucco, challenged the audience in the formal presentacion of the HB4 Wheat, the transgenic wheat that added drought tolerance to glufosinate-ammonium herbicide tolerance.

The beginning of this development dates from middles ’90 when scientist Raquel Chan’s team identified a gene (HB4) that confers sunflower seed a better performance under drought condition. In 2003, Bioceres reached an agreement with Conicet (the governmental Science and Technology Comission) to develop this finding in a commercial way. In 2007, HB4 was transferred to other crops like soybean, maize and wheat, and now only one formal step is missing to release this technology to the Argentinean farmers.

Mr. Trucco explained the three step deregulation process for a GMO crop in Argentina. HB4 wheat has already been approved by the SENASA (Food Quality and Health Service) and the Conabia (Biotechnology Advisor Commission), because there is not risk to the human health, animal health and the environment, and the characteristics of this wheat are the same of conventional ones. . . 

New app helps farmers finish cattle to retailers’ specifications:

A new app can help farmers finish cattle to retailers’ specifications with greater precision, avoiding lower prices for the farmer and waste in the value chain.

Changing customer tastes mean that almost half of prime beef now fails to meet ideal market specifications.

The app will help farmers finish cattle to retailers’ specifications with greater precision, underpinned by the data to evidence this. . . 


Rural round-up

16/03/2018

White South African farmers ‘need help from a civilised country‘:

Australia’s Home Affairs Minister is investigating how to bring white South African farmers to Australia on humanitarian grounds.

White farmers facing violence in South Africa “deserve special attention” from Australia, Peter Dutton said.

He said he had watched television footage and read articles that convinced him the farmers needed help, and had ordered his department to investigate how to bring the farmers to Australia. . .

Young farmer making most of opportunities – Sally Rae:

Scottish-born Ann Linton always wanted to visit New Zealand before she was 21.

She got her wish – albeit a week after the milestone birthday – but she did not realise that she would never really leave.

Miss Linton (26), who came with just a suitcase, has ended up with a career in the dairy industry – and a husband-to-be.

She and her partner, Scott Henderson, are now managing a 420ha effective self-contained dairy farm near Milton, with stunning views over South Otago, milking 830 cows. . . 

NZ lamb, mutton returns at record levels as supplies dwindle -Tina Morrison

(BusinessDesk) – New Zealand meat processors are having to pay more for lambs as supplies dwindle, pushing lamb and mutton returns for Kiwi farmers to record levels for this time of the year, according to AgriHQ’s Monthly Sheep & Beef report for March.

Better rainfall in dry areas of the South Island and lower lamb growth rates in the North Island have led farmers to keep hold of their stock instead of sending them to slaughter, and a higher kill rate earlier in the season also means there is now less stock available than normal, said AgriHQ analyst Reece Brick. . .

Campaign aims to lower farm death toll

Stubbornly high rates of farm fatalities have prompted a three-year Worksafe campaign to get farmers to use their rural vehicles more safely.

The agency will be sending inspectors to farms and launching publicity campaigns to try to reduce the death toll.

WorkSafe statistics show 128 people have died in farm accidents since 2011. . .

Māori team up with Crown to breed unique berries for global markets:

A joint venture company has been created to breed and develop new unique berry varieties to be marketed exclusively by Māori-owned firm Miro Limited Partnership (Miro).

The Government-owned science institute Plant & Food Research and Miro signed a 50:50 joint venture agreement at an event hosted this afternoon by Ngati Haua at the iwi’s Rukumoana Marae in Morrinsville. . . 

Kiwi Agtech Company Biolumic Secures US$5m Funding for World’s First UV Crop Enhancement System – Investors back revolutionary solution to escalating global demand:

 BioLumic, creator of the world’s first crop-yield enhancement system using UV light, today announces the close of US$5 million [NZ$6.5m] in Series A funding.

This significant round of financial backing comes from leading global AgTech investors Finistere Ventures and Radicle Growth acceleration fund, along with Rabobank’s recently-launched Food & Agri Innovation Fund and existing investors from across New Zealand.