Early Bird I Friday April 18th 2025

Agriculture sector driving national economic recovery, sheep and beef sector wants assurance on farm plan practicality, and national shearing team gears up for Northern tour.

Welcome to Proud Country's Early Bird - The top things you need to know that impact rural New Zealand delivered to you by 5am, because who doesn’t need better chat beyond the weather!

 

Agriculture sector driving national economic recovery

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has credited the agriculture sector with pulling the country out of recession during his visit to Taranaki yesterday. Speaking at a Taranaki Chamber of Commerce lunch, Luxon highlighted record dairy prices and positive forecasts across farming sectors as key economic drivers.

The Prime Minister's comments follow this week's global dairy trade auction where prices reached their highest level in nearly three years, showing resilience despite international tariff concerns. Luxon emphasized agriculture's economic impact, generating approximately $10,000 for every New Zealander.

The red meat sector is projecting a $1.2 billion boost in the coming year, while wool prices are performing at their best level in eight years after prolonged difficult seasons. The government recently announced plans to use woollen fibre products in new buildings and refurbishments, while Kainga Ora has opened its tendering process to wool carpet providers.

Luxon pointed to Southland and Canterbury as regions experiencing particularly strong economic momentum as farmers become more profitable and reinvest in their local communities. The Prime Minister was unequivocal about agriculture's importance, stating it is the sector powering New Zealand's economic recovery.

 

Sheep and beef sector wants assurance on farm plan practicality

Beef + Lamb New Zealand has responded to the Government's revised freshwater farm plans announcement with cautious optimism while highlighting the need for further detail to address sheep and beef farmers' concerns.

B+LNZ Chair Kate Acland welcomes positive aspects of the announcement, including the commitment to replace consents and other regulations with freshwater farm plans and the risk-based approach to auditing and certification. The recognition of existing industry assurance programmes to reduce duplication is another step in the right direction according to Acland.

Despite these encouraging signals, significant questions remain about risk thresholds, which aspects of current regulations will be replaced, and how demanding the content requirements for freshwater farm plans will be. B+LNZ maintains that low-risk sheep and beef farming operations should be exempt from freshwater farm plan requirements altogether.

Acland emphasizes that any new system must be practical, matched to actual environmental risk, and proportionate in terms of cost and effort. The organisation has consistently argued that farm plans can play an important role in addressing environmental issues, particularly in at-risk catchments for farms managing high-risk activities.

B+LNZ will continue working closely with Ministers and officials in coming months to ensure farmers' interests are represented as the details are finalised, with regular updates promised as more information becomes available.

 

Hawke's Bay farmers seeing benefits from erosion control trees

Tree planting initiatives across Hawke's Bay hill country farms are delivering measurable benefits in erosion reduction, according to new data presented to the regional council's Environment & Integrated Catchments Committee this week.

Analysis from 50 farms shows strategic planting of poplars and willows can reduce erosion by up to 70 percent on high-risk land, while closed canopy forest plantings can achieve up to 90 percent reductio