NEWS
MANAGEMENT
MACHINERY
‘Drag ‘n drop’ grazing now a reality. PAGE 26
Move up to 70% less dirt.
PAGE 33
Newly-elected Federated Farmers president aims to bridge the gap between town and country. PAGE 6
TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS JULY 4, 2017: ISSUE 633
www.ruralnews.co.nz
Blame Canada! STAFF REPORTERS
A COALITION of international dairy organisations including the Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ) wants an end to Canada flooding world markets with subsidised milk. The 10 dairy organisations from NZ, Australia, Argentina, the EU, Mexico and the US want the abolition of Canada’s recently implemented ‘Special Milk Class 7’ policies. The coalition claims these policies are facilitating “the unfair export of highly subsidised Canadian dairy products onto global dairy markets,” while at the same time increasing Canada’s barriers to dairy imports. “The impact of these policies on international markets is already being seen. “Exports of low priced Canadian skim milk powder grew by 273% in the
first four months of this year,” explains DCANZ executive director Kimberly Crewther. The coalition has called on relevant trade ministers to pursue “all available avenues,” including WTO dispute settlement, to end Canada’s “new and harmful dairy policies”. Canada implemented its special milk Class 7 pricing policies in February 2017 to artificially lower milk ingredient prices for Canadian dairy
processors. These push Canada’s skim milk powder surpluses onto global dairy markets at low prices much below Canada’s cost of production. “Canada’s new dairy policies fly in the face of its international trade commitments,” adds Crewther. She says a WTO dispute case was successfully taken against Canada by New Zealand and the US in 1997. This resulted in a restriction on Canadian export of dairy products
Mobile meat data AgResearch chief executive Tom Richardson pictured with hand-held meat data gun displayed at the recent Agricultural Fieldays. Held up against meat, the gun provides its molecular characteristics. “Like a DNA fingerprint, it traces the meat from a supermarket shelf back to the farm,” Richardson says. “We can go around meat works, collect data and follow that through the killing chain to supermarkets and restaurants to validate what it has claimed.” – See more page 3
while that country maintained its subsidising system of dairy supply management. The international dairy coalition believes the new special milk Class 7 policies are an attempt by Canada to “circumvent previous WTO rulings”. “Canada cannot be allowed to take a pick ‘n’ mix approach to international trade rules when the ultimate result is economic harm to dairy producers in other countries,” Crewther says.
FAKE MOOS
FARMERS ARE unhappy with Greenpeace’s latest attempt to protest against intensive dairying Federated Farmers says a report released last week by the lobby group titled ‘Sick of too many cows’ is another “misguided attack” on the primary sector. “This is Greenpeace doing a good job of what they do best -plenty of headlines and hyperbole”, says Chris Allen, Federated Farmers’ water spokesman. “Particularly disturbing is their accusation that irrigation and farming causes cancers and infectious diseases.” Allen says the latest Greenpeace attack smacks of desperation, “and leaves little room for constructive dialogue with no concrete language throughout the report”. The Federation also finds it ironic that the Havelock North water contamination outbreak is raised, yet it had nothing to do with dairy farming nor so-called industrial farming or irrigation. “It’s unfortunate they have not researched basic facts about irrigation and proposed schemes. For example, the businesses signed up to the Ruataniwha scheme are horticultural enterprises, arable and sheep and beef farmers. “There are no new dairy conversions among the 190 farmers signed up, and only one irrigator will expand an existing dairy farm by a mere 100ha.”
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