Search

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and Trade Minister Todd McClay have welcomed a Memorandum of Cooperation that allows for the export of chilled meat into China, calling it a big win for exporters.

“This is a fantastic step forward for New Zealand’s red meat sector, and a sign of the great relationship we share with China,” Mr Guy says.

The six month trial marks very positive progress for New Zealand’s work programme to expand market access to China for a range of our meat products.

Primary Industries Minister departs for Europe tonight for a series of meetings with his European and United Kingdom counterparts and to address the Forum for the Future of Agriculture in Brussels, Belgium.

“New Zealand has close ties with Europe and the UK and this trip will build on this,” says Mr Guy.

“These relationships are increasingly important to us as we work towards a free trade agreement with the European Union and, longer term, forge a new agreement for our trade with the UK following its departure from the EU.”

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and Trade Minister Todd McClay have welcomed new funding of $35.3 million to help support our primary sector exporters succeed in overseas markets.

The funding, announced as part of the launch of Trade Agenda 2030 today, will be made available to the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) over the next four years as part of Budget 2017.

Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy has welcomed the launch of a new tool to monitor drought in New Zealand’s regions.

Developed by NIWA with the support of the Ministry for Primary Industries, the New Zealand Drought Index uses the best scientific information available to determine the status of drought across the country. It is a tool to acknowledge the onset, duration and intensity of drought conditions.

“Until now there hasn’t been one definitive definition of a drought,” says Mr Guy.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has announced changes to commercial fishing limits for rock lobster (crayfish) and southern blue whiting in five areas as part of the annual fisheries sustainability review.

The changes are:

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has welcomed six new biosecurity and pest management projects that have received funding in the latest Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Farming Fund round.

The six projects have been approved for total funding of just under $1.7 million and include a focus on vespula wasps and guava moth, giant buttercup weeds, and investigating the long term effects of herbicides used to control wilding conifers.

The Government has today introduced the Dairy Industry Restructuring Amendment Bill.

The Bill makes changes to the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act 2001 (DIRA), which supports the efficiency and contestability of New Zealand’s dairy industry.

“When Fonterra was formed as the dominant market player, DIRA was established to ensure an efficient and innovative dairy industry to promote the long-term interests of farmers and consumers," says Mr Guy.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has signed an Agricultural Cooperation Arrangement with Argentina today, aimed at building closer relationships between the two countries.

The Arrangement was signed at the Central District Fieldays in Feilding today with Argentina’s Secretary of Agriculture, Ricardo Negri, during his three day visit to New Zealand.

“New Zealand and Argentina have a close relationship, particularly in agricultural sciences,” says Mr Guy.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has welcomed two new investments in smart irrigation projects in the latest Sustainable Farming Fund round.

The first project, led by Irrigation New Zealand, will receive $294,000 to identify the benefits of irrigation good management practice and barriers to uptake.

The results of this will then be used in strategies to overcome these barriers and improve practices.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has welcomed $1.2 million of funding for three projects to combat animal and horticultural disease from the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Farming Fund.

“I’m pleased to see investment in these three projects to tackle bovine viral diarrhoea virus, facial eczema in dairy and beef cattle, and infected potato seed tubers. These are serious problems which can cause a lot of suffering and cost.

A project aimed at growing the capability of women in the primary sector has been granted close to $300,000 in the latest Sustainable Farming Fund round, Associate Primary Industries Minister Louise Upston says.

The Agri-Women’s Development Trust (AWDT) has received $289,000 from the fund to design and deliver two-year pilot programmes around the country beginning in July.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has today officially classified the storm damage around the the Franklin Ward, Hauraki District and Thames-Coromandel District as a medium scale adverse event.

“The damage here is significant and the recovery phase will be a challenge for some badly affected farms,” says Mr Guy, who visited a storm-damaged farm at Kawakawa Bay today.

“The impact of the Tasman Tempest storm brought heavy rainfall ranging from 350 to 850mm, and is estimated to have been a one in 80 year event.

Associate Primary Industries Minister Louise Upston has announced the opening today of the Afforestation Grant Scheme 2017 funding round.

“The goal of the Afforestation Grant Scheme (AGS) is to increase the planting of new forests and the rate of afforestation,” Ms Upston says.

“New Zealand has a significant amount of land at serious risk of erosion, and forest cover is the best form of erosion control. We are on track to meet our goal of planting 15,000ha of new forest by 2020 through the AGS.”

Two men who got Kiwis behind a campaign to buy an Abel Tasman beach for the nation are among the 2016 Walking Access Champion award winners announced by Associate Primary Industries Minister Louise Upston tonight.

Duane Major and Adam Gard’ner helped raise more than $2 million through a high-profile Givealittle campaign last year to buy 7ha of private beach at Awaroa Inlet, which was then made part of the Abel Tasman National Park.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy is welcoming a funding grant of $1.37 million for Hunter Downs Water from Crown Irrigation Investments announced today.

“This development grant funding will be used by Hunter Downs Water to complete the next stage of its programme as it works toward becoming construction ready,” says Mr Guy.

Hunter Downs Scheme is a farmer and community led scheme with the capacity to irrigate 21,000ha in an area located between Waimate and Timaru in South Canterbury.

Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy has attended the world’s largest food tradeshow in Dubai today, as annual two-way trade with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries exceeds $3.2 billion.

“This visit is an opportunity to strengthen our business and trade links between GCC countries and New Zealand by shining the spotlight on our world-class products,” says Mr Guy.

Associate Minister for Primary Industries Louise Upston has announced changes to Gisborne region’s Erosion Control Funding Programme to allow a wider range of measures to manage erosion in the region. 

The changes will support Te Huarahi Hei Whai Oranga – the Tairāwhiti Economic Action Plan, launched today.

Economic Development Minister Simon Bridges, Associate Primary Industries Minister Louise Upston and other Ministers are in Gisborne today for the release of the Tairāwhiti Economic Action Plan, highlighting the Government’s support for the region.

The plan has been developed by Tairāwhiti people for the community and represents a shared investment in the future. The plan’s development was led by the Tairāwhiti Action Plan Governance Group and is supported through the Government’s Regional Growth Programme.

Minister of Primary Industries Nathan Guy has witnessed an agreement in Tehran enabling the resumption of sheep and beef exports to Iran, and witnessed Zespri signalling its willingness to explore the development of the kiwifruit market.

“This is a crucial step for New Zealand meat companies as they look to re-enter the Iranian market," says Mr Guy.

Primary Industries Minister departs for Iran and the United Arab Emirates today on a trip to build closer trading relationships.

“Iran has been an important trading partner for New Zealand in the past and there is great opportunity to increase our two-way trade.  This is an exciting step for New Zealand companies who are working with importers in Iran,” says Mr Guy.

New freshwater reforms will result in 56,000 km more fences protecting New Zealand waterways from stock – enough to go round the world one and a half times, says Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy.

The new rules on stock exclusion are part of the Government’s plans announced today setting a target for 90% of rivers and lakes to be swimmable by 2040.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has welcomed a new report showing a major improvement in bobby calf welfare last year.

“The Ministry for Primary Industries has vets at nearly every processing facility and in the 2016 season the mortality rate for bobby calves between farm and processing has more than halved, from 0.25 per cent to 0.12 percent.

A new report launched tonight confirms the dairy industry makes a major contribution to New Zealand’s economy, says Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy.

“According to the report dairy contributes $7.8 billion to New Zealand’s GDP, and is our largest good exporter. This is a timely reminder of just how important the dairy industry is,” says Mr Guy.

The report ‘Dairy trade’s economic contribution to New Zealand’ was commissioned from NZIER by the Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ) and released today.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has announced a renewal of the emergency closure prohibiting the take of shellfish and seaweed (excluding scampi and rock lobster) along the earthquake-affected area of the east coast of the South Island for a further nine months.

“This decision follows advice received from the Ministry for Primary Industries based on the latest scientific assessments of the area, and consultation with the public, local iwi and the paua industry,” says Mr Guy.