The Country 04/04/25: Jane Smith talks to Jamie Mackay

North Otago farmer and award-winning environmentalist. Today we talk about semen-testing bulls, Trump, the Paris Accord and a ripper of a season - in no particular order. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
She is a North Otago farmer and a woman of
many talents. Yesterday she was seaman testing balls. Today she's
going to talk to us about Donald Trump's tariffs from
a farmer's point of view. From the coal Face Jane Smith,
Good afternoon.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
Good afternoon, Jamie. Hopefully not going to sort of draw
a light you line between the two being similar or something.
I'm not sure, but now it's been a fascinating twenty
four hours, hasn't it really? In terms of trade and
as you know, Jamie, there's no winners in a trade war.
And I guess the question is one who will pay
for this in terms of the direct costs into the
USA and whether we pay a price in terms of demand.

(00:37):
But either way it's going to be what is going
to be probably nine hundred million dollars. So I think,
you know, from New Zealand's point of view, we need
to keep a calm hit on this. It looks like
we have. There could be an upside. I think it
means that we will become hopefully more crystal clear about
what we produce and how we do it, and hopefully
leads to a few conversations about some of the unnecessary
burdens that we put on our producers on that produce

(00:59):
red meat and milk before it even leaves our shores,
so higher and higher cost of production, you know, wasting
money on overly intrusive audits, et cetera. It might mean
we have a conversation now about ge do we or
do we not? Because it's sort of sort of slipped
through the cracks that sort of seems a given that
we're going to be doing it, but actually is that
a way to DIFFERENTI our product even more to continue

(01:20):
to be gufree? And I guess we know that they
need our lean handiger meat. And once the Yanks start
paying more for their what is it fifty billion burgers
they eat a year, that's something like three per person
per week, Jmie, So you know that may things might
change once they become realized the rubber hits the road.
And it's been really interesting to see some speculation coming

(01:42):
out of Australia this morning that the Aussies are about
to make a move on the trade chess board by
opening its doors to US beef, so reciprocal importation tup
scenario with beef that hasn't happened since I guess the
BC and when we're out two thousand and three. So
that is quite interesting in terms of that, and I'm

(02:02):
not suggesting we should be doing that at all, but
I'm suggesting that one that is quite strange. But also
it might mean some other doors open up for us.
But never has there been a time that we should
be you know, we should be more bolder and rather
than the semi sort of passive approach that we're known
for sometimes. You know, I know my Indian colleague on
their global farm around table often says, you know, you've

(02:24):
got all the opportunity in the world, all of the resources,
but you are a very weak seller in the world.
New Zealand. We tend to go to the world with
cap and hand saying please serve, will you buy some more,
when actually we should be more focused like zests Free
does and say actually we've got a damn fine product.
We'll pay a damn fine price for it. Let's talk.
So yeah, I just think it's might just open up

(02:46):
a bit of clarity instead of actually, I guess punishing
ourselves within before the meat even leaves the country. Actually,
let's just be really clear on what we're doing and
what actually does make our product different, Jamie.

Speaker 1 (02:59):
Earlier in the week we to David Seymour about pulling
out of the Powers accord. And I know you're a
bit of a poster girl for ground Swell, Jane Smith,
so you're all for it.

Speaker 2 (03:10):
Yeah. Well again, Jamie, that whole methane conversation has never
really happened. I mean the end of the day, and
you know this, and we all know this. Unfortunately, our
industry has painted ourselves into some sort of sacrificial corner
and we all know that methane, if it is steady
or decreasing, it is not adding to warming. So that
fact seems to have been markedly missed out. And what

(03:32):
have we done. We've actually doubled down and put more
money wasted, more tax pay money. I think there's another
four hundred million dollars in the pipeline to be used
on methane mitigation, which just seems fascical when you think
that could have gone into real research. Jamie, and I
guess on that in terms of real research. I had
a fascinating evening that we went to a couple of

(03:54):
weeks ago was balanced agranutrients, and you know, in terms
of real research on a real problem. Cato and as
agg research team has developed an amazing product that is
going to be potentially significantly reduced pasta larvae on pasta.
So our three lave, as you know, is ninety percent
of the problem. What do we do? We only dose

(04:15):
the ten percent of the problem and the animal and waste.
I think it's three hundred million dollars doing that, So
you know, that's real research or the real research and healthcare,
et cetera. But we, again, we tend to sort of
take the passive approach of we must do more to
be global heroes. Well, actually, let's just be really productive,
really efficient and do really really good environmental things, Jamie.

(04:36):
Not this this sort of the chasing rainbows, et cetera,
which is all that we're doing by pandering to the
parasy called Jamie.

Speaker 1 (04:42):
Just finally, how are things on the North Otago farm?

Speaker 2 (04:46):
Well, I'm standing out in a paddock at the moment, Jamie.
Usually autumn is the time that really nails us. Usually
we don't have an autumn. We don't have an opportunity
for a autumn flush or anything like that. And I'm
a little bit sheepish if you like to say that
we've had. I think we've had one hundred and ninety
miles for the year, which is unbelievable. And again I
feel guilty saying that for all of those dry areas

(05:06):
and we have got with having an autumn and we've
got twenty four degrees here today, and yeah, so I guess,
you know, it is nice for most of the East
Coast actually have a bit of a good autumn for once, Jamie.
We will take it, but again I just sort of
feel a bit guilty about it. But yeah, onwards and upwards,
I guess for a good autumn going into winter. Jamie.

Speaker 1 (05:27):
Jane Smith, thanks for your time. I'm always appreciated on
the country.

Speaker 2 (05:31):
Thanks jamiey