Business

Who will pick up Essential Freshwater’s $80b price tag?

Excessively stringent freshwater policies that won’t achieve significantly better water quality outcomes will cost New Zealanders more than $80 billion over the next thirty years, says DairyNZ chief executive Dr Tim Mackle. “The water quality limits under Essential Freshwater are so severe that the net result is a significant economic loss, both regionally and nationally, potentially without the environmental gains they are hoping for,” Dr Mackle said. “An $80 billion price tag equates to a cost of over $38,000 for every household in the country, according to independent and robust economic analysis of the Essential Freshwater proposals. “These costs are more than three times higher in Southland, Taranaki and the West Coast. Here, they rise to around $120,000 per household. “This will have a devastating impact on regional employment, too. Our analysis shows that there will be an extra 800 households in Southland and 1000 in Taranaki left with a breadwinner out of work. “These are significant costs to be borne, particularly in rural communities, and they should not be taken lightly. “These points emphasise the role of dairy farming as the economic engine of the regions where there is no guarantee another sector will replace it. “By 2050 this will be costing the country $6 billion per year – equivalent to the cost of unmitigated climate change in that year, predicted by the OECD. “Our current scientific understanding and economic modelling indicates there is a more pragmatic way to achieve similar environmental outcomes at less cost to the economy and communities,” said Dr Mackle. “To be clear, the Essential Freshwater policy isn’t all about economics or money. Healthy and swimmable waterways are important to all New Zealanders, including dairy farmers, who share the same aspirations to protect our rivers, lakes and wetlands.   “Up to twenty percent of New Zealand waterways run […]

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Meat processing sector trials ‘wearable’ technology to reduce injuries

New wearable technology designed to reduce the risk of injury is being trialled by New Zealand’s meat processing sector. The Suit-X Exoskeleton is a spring-loaded, non-mechanical device worn by workers to provide strength and support for mechanical and repetitive tasks. The suits reduce forces, cutting the risk of injury and increasing productivity, especially during periods of sustained bending and overhead reaching. The back and shoulder suits, which can be worn on their own or together, do not impede everyday tasks such as walking, driving or climbing a ladder. They do not require the use of computers or batteries. A study using surface sensors on the muscles during scaffold building demonstrated a 45 per cent reduction in muscle activity required for the task. Developed in the United States by Suit-X, the Exoskeleton technology was recently demonstrated at a series of workshops across the country by the Australian-based company Biosymm, supported by the Meat Industry Association (MIA) and WorkSafe New Zealand. Tim Ritchie, chief executive of the Meat Industry Association, says investing in technology is playing a pivotal role in the sector’s efforts to improve its health and safety performance. “We have significantly reduced the injury rates over time, with the number of ACC injury claims more than halving since 2004. However, we are committed to lifting our performance further by exploring new technologies to remove or reduce risk. “We believe good health and safety is more than compliance. We have a responsibility to look after our people to ensure they go home safe and well.” The MIA and WorkSafe New Zealand signed a Partnership Agreement in April 2018, says Mr Ritchie. “We are committed to sharing intelligence on critical harm and injury trends and issues, facilitating industry-good research to reduce injuries and illness, assisting in worker involvement, and supporting health and […]

Fieldays significant economic contribution

Fieldays continues to contribute significantly to the regional and national economy, according to the recent Economic Impact Report conducted by Dr Warren Hughes of the New Zealand Institute for Business Research at the University of Waikato. An impressive $549M in sales revenue for New Zealand firms was generated by the event with $183M going into the Waikato region alone. This national sales revenue figure is an increase of over $50M from last year’s figures. Based on the official event attendance figures for 2019 of 128,747, it shows that each person though the gate contributes around $4,200 to the economy. New Zealand National Fieldays Society General Manager of Commercial Nick Dromgool speaks of the fantastic results shown in this year’s Economic Impact Report. “It’s really encouraging to see such great numbers in terms of economic contribution, employment and GDP from this year’s Economic Impact Report of Fieldays. We heard from several of our bigger exhibitors that this was a good year for them so it’s great to have this backed up by the numbers,” says Dromgool. The report states that over 2,000 full-year jobs have been sustained in the New Zealand economy from the 2019 event with almost 900 jobs sustained specifically in the Waikato region. Another impressive figure from the report was that $247M of additional GDP was generated for the New Zealand economy which is an increase of $21M from 2018. $80M was also added to Waikato’s GDP. The event also proved hugely beneficial to the Waikato region with it estimated that every gate entry resulted in $312 in direct spending in the Waikato hospitality sectors including accommodation, restaurants, bars and retail trade. The estimated brand value of Fieldays continues to rise with it being estimated conservatively at $610M following the 2019 event. This is a promising increase of […]

Farmers now able to estimate how much carbon their tree blocks

New Zealand farmers can now estimate how much carbon their tree blocks are sequestering thanks to a new addition to OverseerFM. The carbon stock tool in OverseerFM uses data from the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Carbon Look-up Tables to estimate the carbon sequestration potential for existing and future tree blocks on a farm. The new tool adds to OverseerFM’s existing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions analysis tool, which models the farm’s biological emissions (methane, nitrous oxide) and carbon dioxide as well as product footprint. “Farmers, rural professionals and the sector have told us they want a tool to help them make more informed decisions around the potential carbon sequestration impact of planting tree blocks on farm,” says Caroline Read, chief executive of Overseer. “The new feature provides an easy way of understanding the positive environmental impact of tree blocks and better representation of their farm systems. “The carbon stock tool is a valuable addition to our OverseerFM GHG emissions analysis suite, whichenables farmers to test different management approaches to reduce emissions on their farm and ton increase their farm sustainability. “The unique capability of OverseerFM enables a holistic approach to farm environment planning inthat you can see the impact on Nitrogen, Phosphorus and GHG at the same time and avoid pollution swapping.” Overseer is also working with Scion to understand if different forest management practices will havea material impact on carbon stocks, she says. “The addition of this tool represents the next step in our strategy to partner with the farming community and enable New Zealand farms to be more environmentally and economically sustainable. “Our software provides farmers and their advisors with better information about nutrient management so they can make better decisions to lift environmental performance. “Using OverseerFM means farmers can understand what they are emitting into the environment and […]

Robust science and partnerships crucial for freshwater

DairyNZ’s submission on the proposed Essential Freshwater package identifies the solutions needed to deliver lasting improvements for water quality and ecosystem health in New Zealand, while protecting our economy. Healthy and swimmable waterways are important to all New Zealanders, including dairy farmers, who share the same aspirations to protect our rivers, lakes and wetlands. “DairyNZ supports targeted efforts to halt further degradation of our freshwater resources, together with improved farming practices which we know will lead to meaningful outcomes,” said DairyNZ strategy and investment leader, Dr David Burger. “Under the Essential Freshwater proposal, there are policies we do and don’t support. Those we don’t support are due to a lack of robust supporting science linking the proposed policy to water quality outcomes, and we believe there are better ways to achieve similar results. “Our economic impact analysis indicates these policies we don’t support could have a very significant impact on New Zealand’s GDP and export income. Addressing New Zealand’s water quality challenges also requires a collaborative approach that goes beyond simply focusing on nutrients such as nitrogen. “We are also concerned that the Essential Freshwater package is not underpinned by a comprehensive economic assessment of impacts on the dairy sector or the broader economy, given dairy makes up nearly one-third of New Zealand’s exported goods and provides 46,000 jobs.” DairyNZ is proposing an alternative to manage ecosystem health, based on strengthening existing standards for nitrogen toxicity to further protect sensitive indigenous species. “Our current scientific understanding and economic modelling indicates this is a more pragmatic way to achieve similar environmental outcomes at less cost to the economy and communities,” said Dr Burger. “The Government and dairy farmers can work together to deliver lasting water quality gains at a more rapid pace, and at significantly less socio-economic cost than some of the current proposals.” Dr Burger said their organisation’s submission spans key elements which will deliver for freshwater – in particular, ensuring changes are based on robust science and partnerships across government, industry and community, and will deliver enduring outcomes. “We all have a shared vision. As […]

Bipartisan support for Zero Carbon Bill gives farmers certainty

DairyNZ Chief Executive Dr Tim Mackle is welcoming todays bipartisan support of the Zero Carbon Bill as a positive step forward for New Zealand farmers. “We are pleased that the Zero Carbon Bill has managed to achieve a degree of bipartisan support that will give farmers certainty into the future” Dr Mackle said. “All the key elements of the Bill, including the establishment of a Climate Change Commission, a split gas approach for methane and the creation of carbon budgets have strong bipartisan support – and the support of the agricultural sector. “Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the methane reduction targets. “DairyNZ remain firmly opposed to the Governments methane reduction range of 24 – 47% as we believe it is out of step with what science requires and rural economies can sustain. “This is not a scientific target, but a political one” Dr Mackle added. “We are encouraged that Minister Shaw has indicated he is considering sending the methane target to the Commission to receive independent advice. DairyNZ very much welcomes this. “It is important this is done quickly. The Commission is asked to recommend the first three carbon budgets, out to 2035, by early 2022. We need clarity on the methane target before this is done. “DairyNZ has confidence that the Zero Carbon Bill puts in place the right institutional arrangements to eventually deliver a fair methane reduction target for farmers. “We will be working with the Government and other sector bodies to ensure this happens. “Farmers have never been afraid of the facts. They simply want a methane target that is fair and firmly grounded in the best available science, applied in a New Zealand context” Dr Mackle concluded.

Mobile tipper-conveyor system performs multiple tasks

A new Mobile Drum Tipper-Conveyor System fallows dust-free dumping of bulk solid materials from drums, and/or conveying it to process equipment and storage vessels throughout the plant. The system’s TIP-TITE Drum Tipper accommodates drums from 114 to 208 liters, weighing up to 340 kg and measuring 90 to 120 cm in height. Mounted on a mobile frame with quick-action floor jacks, it raises the drum hydraulically to form a dust-tight seal between the rim of a drum and the underside of the discharge cone. A separate hydraulic cylinder tips the platform-hood assembly and drum, stopping at dump angles of 45, 60 or 90 degrees with a motion-dampening feature. The vertically-oriented cone mates with a gasketed inlet port fitted to the hopper of the system’s flexible screw conveyor, and to any low profile equipment throughout the plant. A pneumatically-actuated slide gate valve prevents material flow until the discharge cone has been properly seated in the gasketed receiving ring. The mobile Flexicon screw conveyor, which can operate independently or mated to the drum tipper, can feed material to elevated process equipment and storage vessels. The only moving part contacting material is a rugged inner screw which can move both free- and non-free-flowing materials with no separation of blended products. The screw is driven beyond the point of discharge, preventing material contact with seals or bearings. Removal of the hopper lid allows manual dumping and feeding from upstream equipment. Flexibility of the tipper and conveyor to handle a diversity of materials independently or in tandem throughout the plant enables the system to satisfy a range of current and future requirements, according to the manufacturer. Ready to plug in and run, it is constructed of carbon steel with a durable industrial finish, and is available with stainless steel material contact surfaces or in all-stainless […]

Changing food types

Crispy roasted crickets were recently served in a sushi restaurant in London, re-igniting the discussion about integrating insects into consumer diets. However, less thought has been given to what industry will have to do to handle these new food types. Here Darcy Simonis, industry network leader for ABB’s food and beverage segment, explains how manufacturers can incorporate new ingredients to production. Consumers love new ingredients to incorporate into their diets, with recent years new food trends including quinoa, avocado and kale. These new food products, with mass consumer appeal, are even more important when they use ingredients that are nutritious and environmentally sustainable. However, the sudden increase from low to large volume production can be an issue when a food product emerges to mass popularity. Scaling up production and processing food that suddenly and rapidly grows in popularity can be a daunting task. Improperly controlled mass production can cause inefficiencies to spiral out of control, or for unknown issues to come to the forefront. For example, the massive global increase in demand for avocados forced the Kenyan government to ban the export of the fruit as there was not enough to supply local needs. The increase in demand for new ingredients or products also raises the need to implement proper applications for handling new ingredients. In the case of the crickets, most food manufacturing processes are built to deter insects and prevent them from contaminating the food. As such, if insect-based foods were to grow in popularity, new processes would have to be developed to ensure proper cleanliness and hygiene levels. When a product is in high demand and supplies run low there is also the potential for food fraud to come into play. This is dangerous, with potentially fatal consequences for the end consumer, because the product may have […]

CropLife Asia joins call for healthy & sustainable diets

This World Food Day, CropLife Asia proudly joins the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) in the call to make healthy and sustainable diets accessible and affordable to everyone – and heralds the innovations of plant science technologies as a key component in realising this pursuit. The latest State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) Report by the FAO reveals that while more than 820 million people around the world suffer from hunger, over 670 million adults and 120 million boys and girls between the ages of 5-19 are obese. Children under five years old are also part of this troubling trend with over 40 million of them being overweight globally. The paradox of how food insecurity is associated with both undernourishment as well as overweight and obesity is prevalent in Asia, where the majority of the undernourished population (more than 500 million) live. In 2018, Africa and Asia bore the greatest share of all forms of malnutrition by accounting for more than nine out of ten of all stunted and wasted children; while nearly three-quarters of all overweight children worldwide also reside in Asia. “The numbers revealed by the FAO SOFI Report are alarming and suggest a crisis is at hand,” said Dr. Siang Hee Tan, Executive Director of CropLife Asia. “Innovations such as crop protection products and plant biotechnology have a role to play in mitigating the debilitating effects of this crisis. These plant science tools are food and nutrition security game-changers that can help Asia’s smallholder farmers not only produce more high-quality food but also mitigate the impacts of climate change.” Biotech crops are developed with improved traits such as increased yield, better resistance to pests and/or improved nutrition, among others. These traits are crucial tools that enable farmers to meet […]

Methane reducing cattle feed one step closer

The Government today announced its support for a project that could substantially reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions from cattle. The announcement was made as part of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor’s visit to Nelson’s Cawthron Aquaculture Park. The Cawthron Institute will receive $100,000 from the Government’s Sustainable Food & Fibre Futures fund to turn a native red seaweed (Asparagopsis armata) in to a greenhouse gas-busting cattle feed supplement for domestic and global markets. “If successful, this project could be a game-changer for farmers here and around the world,” Damien O’Connor said. “In previous trials Asparagopsis has proven to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in livestock by up to 80 per cent. Other products typically provide reductions of between 10 and 20 per cent. “Australian research estimates that if just 10 per cent of global ruminant producers adopted Asparagopsis as an additive to feed their livestock, it would have the same impact for our climate as removing 50 million cars from the world’s roads. “Farmers know better than most about the effects of climate change and many are innovating so that they can drive down on-farm emissions. They need technology like this to help them get there though. “Sustainable agribusiness and transitioning to a low emissions economy is a major focus for the Coalition Government. It’s why we established the $40 million a year SFFF fund last year – to invest in projects that deliver economic, environmental and social benefits for all Kiwis. “Aquaculture is a growth industry for this country and has the potential to play a more significant role in our economy. It’s currently worth $600 million a year and employs over 3000 people. “The Cawthron project could lay the foundations for a new high-value industry, along with the jobs that go with it. There is […]

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