Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Public, media support of dairying

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Mainstream media organisations are not anti-dairy farming or beating up on the industry, DairyNZ communications manager Lee Cowan says. Media items about dairying, across all forms of media, have remained more than 90% positive or neutral over the past three years of analytics, she told Farmers Forums throughout the country in the past month.
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Cowan said the problem is sensitivity bias among dairy farmers who are interested in articles about dairying and who therefore read or watch them and are more likely to have an opinion.

“Because we are likely to know more about dairy than the journalist we often have strong opinions about the way something is written or presented.”

DairyNZ actively corrects misinformation, builds relationships with journalists and pitches stories that might appeal.

It also runs public perception surveys with 57% of respondents in October/November 2019 saying they have a favourable or very favourable view of the dairy industry.

“We want it to be better, of course, and that number has declined from 71% in 2010.”

DairyNZ has worked to educate media, politicians and influencers on the facts of New Zealand dairying, including caring for people, animals and the environment.

But the best way to build trust is for dairy farmers to be authentic and proud of their farms, their animals and the industry.

Dairy environment leader Earle Wright, from Tapora in North Auckland, said his chairmanship of the Tapora Coastal Care Group and a flagship site for the Integrated Kaipara Harbour Management Group has opened doors and provided opportunities.

He sponsors awards for school children who get involved in riparian planting and wetland care.

“The kids love it and it involves the parents as well,” he said.

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