federated Farmers employment spokesman David Rose has welcomed the Government’s planned changes to employment law.

A rise in feed prices appears on the cards as northern hemisphere harvests reel from heat waves and storms, prompting as much as a 25% lift in some international grains markets since the end of June.

Chinese Government-owned Bright Dairy’s deal to buy a majority stake in Canterbury milk processor Synlait has drawn fire from Green Party co-leader Russel Norman.

Meat industry leaders have agreed terms of reference and funding to set the way ahead for the industry over the next five to 10 years.

High value niches being pushed by “armchair exporters” as the way to raise farmgate returns could prove to be a dead loss, says Federated Farmers.

With so much uncertainty and protest surrounding the introduction of the emissions trading scheme (ETS), DairyNZ has stepped in and is running nine sessions around the country for rural professionals.

High land values and debt are holding agriculture back and, unpalatable as it may be, a capital gains tax could be part of the solution, says one of New Zealand’s leading scientists turned commentator.

The Dairy Women’s Network has appointed Nita Harding as its new general manager.

A fine spell of weather has enabled the Animal Health Board (AHB) to complete a series of aerial possum control operations to protect West Coast cattle herds from bovine tuberculosis.

Fonterra expects to invest on average $500 million of new capital expenditures annually in New Zealand.

ANDREW SWALLOW

There is no reason for access issues “to blow up again” as high country farmers suggested in Rural News’ last issue (June 22).

An “itch waiting to be scratched” is how Ag in Action business manager Vaughan Coy describes next year’s farm machinery demonstration event now signing exhibitors.

Agriculture Minister David Carter says the nation’s beekeepers should start planning ahead in case Australian honey is allowed into New Zealand.

Owners of pre-1990 exotic forests should soon learn whether they will qualify under the ETS for a free allocation of carbon credits.

The 10-year saga of Central Plains Water’s (CPW) battle to bring water from the Waimakariri and Rakaia Rivers to 60,000ha of Central Canterbury seems set to run for a bit longer yet.