NEWS
MACHINERY & PRODUCTS
Wakanui gets the all clear for M.bovis. PAGE 6
John Deere updates its tractor series. PAGE 21
MANAGEMENT Shear guts raises $130k for charity. PAGE 19
TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS MARCH 28, 2023: ISSUE 772
www.ruralnews.co.nz
Morrison voted out! DAVID ANDERSON
BEEF+LAMB NZ chair Andrew Morrison has been dumped and will stand down at this week’s annual meeting (Thursday March 30). In what is already looking like a testy outing for B+LNZ has now had extra spice added with a vote of no
confidence being proposed in the ousted chair and the whole board. Morrison lost his board seat in the southern South Island ward to Geoff Young. Young received 8,777 weighted votes while Morrison received 6,587 votes – a winning margin of 2,190 votes. Meanwhile, South Otago farmer
Hugh Gardyne has put up a late motion moving a vote of no confidence in both Morrison as chair (which is now redundant) and entire the board of B+LNZ for their support of He Waka Eke Noa (HWEN). Gardyne claims B+LNZ has been distracted from its main purpose “to grow the sheep and beef industries and
provide sustainable returns now and for future generations”. In his no confidence motion, Gardyne claims B+LNZ has been distracted from its mandate in a number of ways, including co-producing the HWEN report, allowing the Government to override this report with their own amendments and then standing
with the Government and signing off on Labour’s Emission Pricing Plan. Gardyne told Rural News that he’d had confirmation from B+LNZ that the agenda for the AGM has been revised with the deletion of the afternoon farm tour, allowing for more time to consider all the remits and for general business, where his motion will be moved. “I have been a strong advocate of Beef and Lamb all my farming life, but your patronage of this Labour Government is unprecedented,” Gardyne states in his motion. “Meetings arranged to inform us on HWEN and discuss the Government’s response have been straight out lectures, with no time or inclination to listen to any opposing solutions. This is a time of reckoning.” Gardyne accuses B+LNZ of “forsaking its mandate and needing to re-set”.
Get in behind! Ireland’s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Marine was quick to blow the whistle on NZ’s Minister of Agriculture Damien O’Connor during his recent visit to Wellington. However, there was nothing sinister in the whistle blowing. It just so happens that Charlie McConalogue is a sheep farmer and a dog trialist back in Ireland and the gift to him from O’Connor was a very special shepherd’s whistle made from pounamu. McConalogue was one of many Irish ministers of the Crown dispatched from Dublin to all four corners of the world to connect with people who have Irish heritage and join them in celebrating St Patrick’s Day. – See more page 4
Real people, real stories.
Issue 2 out now! SCAN THE QR CODE TO READ NOW or VISIT KUBOTA.CO.NZ