September 2007

Time for joint initiatives
The merger between Alliance Group and PPCS might be off the agenda at the present time but there's still plenty of scope for joint initiatives, according to MIAG Chairman Mark Crawford.

Facts on Bluetongue

Further discovery of more Bluetongue
Following the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease in Surrey in August/September, and the recent discovery of Bluetongue at premises near Ipswich and Lowestoft, Defra has made several changes to the controls on movement.

Rural mothers earn less money
A new study by the Carsey Institute, New Hampshire, shows that rural mothers with children under age 6 have higher employment rates than their urban counterparts, but have higher poverty rates, lower wages, and lower family income.

Romneys prove to be robust
As part of a two-year trial in New Zealand, Romney sheep have demonstrated a combination of high lamb production and low losses.

Results of the 2007 Fonterra Directors' Election

If you won't fix it - step aside
"If you won't try to fix the problems in the meat industry, then it's time you stepped aside and let someone who will." That is the message from the Meat Industry Action Group to Alliance Group and PPCS directors.

MEAT INDUSTRY MERGER:
PPCS says YES, Alliance says NO
Members of the Meat Industry Action Group were last night very disappointed to hear that Alliance Group has fobbed off the concept of a merger between PPCS and Alliance. Chairman Mark Crawford said it was Alliance's big opportunity to show that they are a forward thinking ...

Is Fonterra plan just another special deal?
At a time when sheep farmers are fed up, and increasingly vocal, about special deals within the meat industry, it is ironic that Fonterra has announced its intention to set up a pooling scheme which aims to get a "premium" for its suppliers from meat companies.

Brit farmers have little to fear from NZ sheep farmers
New Zealand may be the hot favourites to win the Rugby World Cup which opened in France on Friday, but NFU livestock chairman Thomas Binns says Britain's sheep farmers have less to fear from them when it comes to the competition in the lamb market.

Increased cow values mean surgery viable
The bone chip in dairy cow Number 168's front leg should have been a death sentence, but the skill of equine surgeon Michael Archer means the two-year-old lives to milk another season.

NZ Grants to help animal and human research
Two AgResearch researchers who were last week awarded prestigious Marsden Fund grants will use animal models for research that could lead to important insights into human and animal growth and development and potential new treatments for cancer and heart disease.

Light at end of FMD tunnel
National Sheep Association has warmly welcomed the statement to industry from government which gives a clear timeline for the resumption of normal trading following the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease.

NZ horse flu tests negative
MAF Biosecurity New Zealand has announced that all test results from horses imported from Australia, and horses in contact with these animals, were negative for equine influenza.

Keep your eye on the ball
Matthew Muir, from the Agricultural and Life Sciences Division at Lincoln University knows all about keeping his eyes on the ball.

Meat company makes director changes
Long-serving PPCS Director Terry Egan has announced his retirement from the Board of PPCS Ltd with immediate effect.

Sheep gene sequencer at Otago University
A brand-new gene sequencer at the University of Otago is being put into immediate service to make sure New Zealand doesn't miss out on vital genetic gains worth an estimated $10m annually to the sheep breeding industry.

Probably over 2000 horses in Aussie with horse flu
Five hundred horses on 53 properties across New South Wales are confirmed as having equine influenza. Authorities suspect another 2335 horses have the disease on a further 213 properties.

No-shearer wool attracts market in China
Western Australian wool growers are becoming very keen on Bioclip - a wool harvesting technique which manages without the need for shearers.

UK farmers under intense retail pressure
UK farmers need to get bigger and more efficient, that's the message from the British Retail Consortium, which speaks on behalf of the big supermarkets.