It is an issue constantly raised by farmers during the organisation’s levy roadshows, Mackle told farmers at its annual meeting in Ashburton.
While not dismissing farmers’ feelings about the subject, DairyNZ’s monthly media analysis data showed it was not as bad as what people thought.
“It’s actually not as bad as what it feels like. The number of negative articles that come out every month is probably 6-7%. Everything else is either neutral or positive,” he says.
The issue of the industry’s image and whether DairyNZ was raised by a farmer during general business at the meeting.
Mackle says public perceptions of dairying had swung upwards on the back of the covid-19 lockdown as people understood the importance of food production.
Mackle earlier said the Vision is Clear media campaign had led to 220,000 people visiting the campaign’s website.
He says it reached 500,000 people on social media every month and 70% of people who had seen the campaign said they felt more positively about the dairy industry compared to 59% who had not seen the campaign in DairyNZ’s most recent public perception survey.
“It is making a difference,” he says.
DairyNZ chairperson Jim van der Poel says it had been the subject of “robust discussions” around the board table.
“It’s always easier to get bad news out there than good news,” he says.
Van der Poel says it was an “absolute truth” that for members of the public who do not see or understand the good work many in the industry often felt the need to express that view at election-time.
“And then of course you have governments that come in and feel they have a mandate to then follow through on that,” he says.
That was not to say the industry was perfect. It still had lots of work to do.
While the industry was trying to make that impact around changing people’s mindsets, it was probably not getting the cut-through it had hoped. The organisation was reviewing whether it was using its resources effectively, he says.
“Could we do better? Absolutely. And is this a collective industry issue? Absolutely,” he says.
Van der Poel says they will wait and see what the formation of the new government is before deciding on its strategy.
The organisation had spent the past three years building up relationships with key government people to make these people understand the implications of its policy particularly around freshwater on the dairy sector.
He says they have been told there were still opportunities to tweak those rules and DairyNZ will continue to work on that.
He also reflected on the 2019-20 year, calling it a busy and challenging year for the sector with the covid-19 pandemic.
“This also provided the opportunity to highlight the value and importance of our sector to New Zealand’s future,” he says.
“Last year we made good progress towards Mycoplasma bovis eradication and in a world-leading emissions programme, He Waka Eke Noa, to collectively build a farm-level emission reduction framework. DairyNZ also advocated for pragmatic essential freshwater rules for farmers.”
Van der Poel and Colin Glass were both re-elected onto DairyNZ’s board.
The pair will be two of five farmer-elected directors and three board-appointed directors who contribute to DairyNZ’s strategy and priorities on behalf of dairy farmers.
The results of several resolutions were also announced. These included the ratification of board-appointed directors Peter Schuyt and Mary-Anne Macleod, and a resolution on director remuneration.
Macleod replaced Dr Helen Anderson, who is stepping down from the DairyNZ board after 10 years.
“Helen has been a huge contributor to the board on your behalf. Helen brings that Wellington perspective to us and helps us to try and understand what drives Wellington and what makes it tick,” he says.
