Early Bird I Thursday October 17th 2024

Dairy prices dip in latest global dairy auction, new Bill aiming to boost dairy exports clears its first hurdle, and Smithfield meat workers find out their fate in Timaru today. 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! Dairy prices dip in latest global dairy auction The latest Global Dairy Trade auction saw a slight overall dip in prices, with a 0.3% decrease across the board, following two consecutive increases in recent weeks. Whole milk powder, which has the largest impact on Fonterra's farmgate milk price, held steady, maintaining its price from the previous auction, while skim milk powder, Fonterra's second-biggest reference product, experienced a 1.8% drop. On a more positive note, cheddar recorded the largest increase, up 4.2%, while anhydrous milk fat also saw a modest gain of 0.3%. However, other products faced declines. Butter slipped 0.3%, continuing its downward trend from the previous auction. Lactose took a significant hit, dropping 5.8%, a stark contrast to its 6.7% increase two weeks ago. The most dramatic fall came from mozzarella, which plunged 8.2%, following a 7.7% drop at the previous event, indicating a challenging market for this product. In terms of volume, the event saw 38,956 metric tonnes of product purchased by 127 successful bidders. This is slightly up from the previous auction's volume but with fewer winning bidders. New Bill aiming to boost dairy exports clears its first hurdle A new dairy Bill, aimed at modernising New Zealand's export quota system, has cleared its first reading in Parliament.  The Dairy Industry Restructuring Amendment Bill seeks to overhaul our dairy export quota system. Its goal is to grow export returns and increase farmgate earnings for dairy farmers. Currently, many niche and high-value dairy producers are locked out of the export quota system. This Bill aims to change that, unlocking new opportunities for these businesses and for New Zealand as a whole. Under the new system, quota allocation would shift from being based on milk solids collected from farmers to a model centred on export history. This change aims to maximise our annual dairy export revenue, which already stands at a whopping $23 billion. The Bill also carves out space for currently ineligible exporters and those with small quotas under 200 tonnes. It also opens doors for non-bovine dairy exporters. Producers of sheep, goat, and deer milk could soon tap into new export markets. Agriculture Minister Todd McClay hails this as a key step in the Government's broader strategy to support our primary sector. It aligns with their ambitious target of doubling export value within a decade. Smithfield meat workers find out their fate in Timaru today Today marks a pivotal moment for hundreds of meatworkers in Timaru as they await news on the future of Alliance Group's Smithfield plant. A decision that could reshape the region's economic landscape is expected to be announced. Six weeks ago, a meeting at Caroline Bay Hall brought the news of a proposal to close the 139-year-old meat processing facility, which could eliminate over 600 jobs, dealing a heavy blow to the local community. Alliance Group has called all Smithfield staff along with union representatives to a meeting at Aorangi Stadium this morning. The meeting aims to reveal the plant's fate following last week's end of the consultation period.  Timaru stands to lose up to $50 million annually in wages alone if the closure goes ahead. This potential hit to the local economy comes on the heels of Antarctica NZ's recent decision to abandon plans for rebuilding Scott Base in Timaru – a project that had raised hopes for 700 new jobs. Scientists lock horns over dairy nitrogen claims A scientific debate is intensifying over nitrogen losses from cow urine and the effectiveness of plantain grass in New Zealand's dairy industry. The controversy stems from a report in the New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, which questioned plantain's ability to absorb nitrates and mitigate nitrogen losses. This critique targets a seven-year, $22 million research project currently underway. At the heart of the dispute are conflicting claims about nitrogen losses from dairy cow urine. While some researchers argue these losses are around 250 kilograms of nitrogen per hectare per year, others maintain they're significantly higher. DairyNZ, a key funder of the plantain research, has challenged the lower figure, describing it as non-peer reviewed. However, the report's authors strongly refute this claim, citing their work published by the NZ Institute of Agriculture and Horticulture Science. Now, AgResearch scientists have joined the fray. They argue the report criticising plantain has flaws and omissions, particularly regarding urine leaching figures. These scientists are puzzled at what they see as an overlooking of established evidence on urine's significance in nitrogen loss. Despite the disagreements, there's common ground. Both sides agree that knowledge gained from plantain research could benefit work on other high-water plant species, such as chicory. Manawatū farmer fined $13,000 in animal welfare case A Manawatū farmer has been handed a $13,000 fine for severe animal welfare breaches in the Palmerston North District Court. Alasdair Currie pleaded guilty to ill-treating animals, breaching welfare standards, and ignoring official directives.  Currie's lawyer sought a discharge without conviction, however, Judge Lance Rowe rejected this plea, emphasising the gravity of the offending and the importance of upholding New Zealand's animal welfare standards. The case came to light after years of intervention by the Ministry for Primary Industries. Inspectors found emaciated and dead sheep, animals suffering from flystrike, and others overdue for shearing. In one instance, 24 sheep died following an initial inspection. In addition to the fine, Currie received an indefinite ban on owning or caring for animals, except for a dog. The judge also denied an application for name suppression. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.