NEWS
SNIPS
Kiwi fruit and
vegetable growers
are desperate
for short and
longterm staff,
and have
welcomed the
launch of a
Ministry of Social
Development
website – www.
worktheseasons.
co.nz/hello
- aimed at
attracting workers
New Zealand
businesses
are already
investing in dairy
development
and moving into
agribusiness and
food processing
in Latin America,
necessitating an
inaugural New
Zealand embassy
in Bogota
The
Mycoplasma
bovis outbreak
could cost New
Zealand about
$95 million in
tracking and
tracing the spread
of the disease
and paying
compensation to
farmers, says MPI
A number of
recent recalls
of raw milk
have prompted
MPI to remind
suppliers that
unpasteurised
milk is high risk
and can carry
Campylobacter,
Listeria and
toxic-producing
strains of E.
coli that are
potentially present
in the milk.
CHOOK
CHOOK CHOOK
Tegel Foods is facing mounting pressure
over its plans to raise nine million
chickens a year on a mega chook
farm on land at Arapohue near Dargaville.
Four recent public meetings
– called by the hastily-formed Kaipara
Community Group – has seen fierce
opposition to the project, which will
see 32 poultry sheds established on
farmland 12km south of the town
near the Northern Wairoa River. Tegel
says each shed will be almost as
long as a rugby field and 20m wide,
and the farm will be stocked with
1.3 million chickens at a time. Waste
will be incinerated, making the farm
self-sufficient in energy, and as many
as 750,000 chickens trucked a month
to slaughter in Auckland. The facility
is expected to produce 40 tonnes of
chicken poo a day, and the company
has consulted neighbours affected by
a ‘smell map’ and arranged to buy up
several properties. Locals says the
project negates any benefits from
the 30-odd new jobs the chicken
farm will create, and will damage a
flourishing organic hub in the area.
The Northland Regional Council has
17 submissions so far on the Tegel
application, 16 of them opposed.
CHANGES AT ZESPRI
BENEFIT GROWERS
A new global survey of smokers just released from the
Foundation for a Smoke-Free World has found 36% of New
Zealand smokers admit to spending money on tobacco that they
know ‘would be better spent on household essentials like food’.
FISH OIL = HEALTHY BABIES?
NEWS
Zespri shareholders have voted to
strengthen grower ownership and
control of Zespri, with more than 75%
agreeing with a number of changes
arising from a recent industry consultation.
Chairman Peter McBride says a
new constitution addresses a problem
of growing misalignment between
growers who supply kiwifruit to Zespri
and people who own shares in Zespri.
“A significant number of New Zealand
kiwifruit orchard owners do not own
Zespri shares and more than 18 million
shares are held by people who have
left the kiwifruit industry,” McBride
says. Shareholders have voted to take
advantage of a uniquely-important
moment for the New Zealand kiwifruit
industry. “This support for change reflects
the cohesiveness of our industry
and a common interest among growers
and former growers in seeing it
prosper. The measures require a huge
amount of goodwill but ultimately they
will support Zespri’s ability to deliver
strong, sustainable value to kiwifruit
growers and shareholders over the
long term. It’s a fantastic legacy for
the next generation of people in our
industry.” Changes include a share cap
and a share issue and buyback programme,
with a near five-year period
of consultation with growers including
a grower referendum in 2015. Twothirds
of growers, representing 80% of
production, voted in the KISP referendum
which set out recommendations
for the industry. Some 92% of growers
who voted supported the recommendations
on measures to improve
alignment between total production
and grower shareholders.
Fish oil supplements taken during
pregnancy could prevent weight-related
health issues in children.
Researchers from the University of
Auckland-based Liggins Institute say
expectant mothers could be given
a new, simple way of improving the
lifelong health of their child, and is
preparing to conduct a clinical trial into
the theory. Study lead Dr Ben Albert
says it is already known that if mothers
carry extra weight when pregnant,
their children are more likely to be
overweight or develop diabetes in
their lives. More than 150 women will
take part in the trial, and Albert says
it is hoped that a third will be Maori
and another third Pacific women.
However, he warns mothers-to-be not
to take fish oil supplements until they
are confident the supplements they
buy are fresh, after an earlier study
A robotic apple packer
and the kiwiberry – created
through collaboration
between Zespri and Crown
Research Institute Plant and Food
Research – will be celebrated with other
New Zealand innovation at Techweek
throughout the country.
6 APRIL 2018