The world is quickly changing in an era of covid-19 and the conference not only recognised that fact, but provided some genuine options for NZ going forward.
There were over 400 attendees, which was good to see. Farmers, farming leaders, agriculture businesspeople and officials all mixing and mingling as we do in the provinces.
The programme was excellent, and I learned a lot. There was a good bench of highly qualified speakers giving their perspective of our industry moving forward.
I’ve heard many prime ministerial addresses over the years, but the speech from Jacinda Adern was both pertinent and focused. Much to the relief of the delegates, she made the point that if a regulation was impracticable or unclear it would be revisited and made workable. She acknowledged the importance of the sector, outlined the issues facing us and discussed both an export led recovery and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
As Feds president Andrew Hoggard said in his vote of thanks, the Prime Minister certainly knew and understood the sector.
The Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) director-general Ray Smith gave a good review of the future of primary industries. His points that we must increase our water storage, revitalise wool, invest in more research and science, develop new products and improve our trade market access were hard to argue with. He also emphasised that having thriving rural communities was a priority for MPI.
I hadn’t heard our chief trade negotiator Vangelis Vitalis before, and he was impressive. In the unpredictable world of covid-19, it is good to have a person with his abilities representing our interests. With world trade decreasing by 17-18%, prices softening and a return to protectionism, we certainly need people with Vangelis’ talents.
Other topics I found interesting was a presentation on the Yili – Westland takeover. I was initially against the sale of Westland Milk, but the presentation convinced me otherwise. Likewise, the Bavarian company Baywa’s investment in T & G.
There was a presentation on Regenerative Agriculture (RA). The talk by Australian RA disciple Dr Christine Jones didn’t inspire me. She made a lot of claims, but proved nothing.
Correspondingly, South Otago RA farmer Hamish Bielski was passionate about RA. I wouldn’t question his commitment, but I don’t agree with his cause.
The session on plant-based diets was good, and convinced me that it has a place in NZ. While I won’t be consuming any of those foods myself, I accept they have a valuable part to play in our total food mix, especially if we accept gene editing and genetic engineering, which are important for plant-based foods and vegan diets.
Exploring the opportunities presented by gene editing to enable sustainable farming was a must-watch. University of Otago professor Peter Dearden gave an impressive rendition of the virtues and importance of modern science which we need to embrace in its entirety.
His position was, simply, that gene editing was vital for the future of NZ agriculture and I agree.
His statement “recognising science and innovation are critical to our response to global catastrophe from covid to climate change” was prophetic.
Canterbury farmer Hamish Marr gave a passionate speech in support of glyphosate. I couldn’t disagree with any of his arguments.
There was considerable discussion on consumer needs and preferences in a post-covid world, which I found interesting. Health and wellness, sustainability, trust and safety, and value all featured. Basically, the post-covid consumer wants a product that is “simple to shop for and simple to cook.”
There will also be a move to premium pre-cooked meals and premium premixed drinks and snacks. Home entertainment will be more important than dining out.
In 2030, successful companies will be those that improve the health of the planet, provide a smart diet and high technology harvests.
Several speakers discussed the needs of the post-covid consumer.
Several also promoted the idea of certification, but the issue I had was that we have several certification schemes, all standalone. We hear about improved traceability, that people need to know the NZ story better, that people should understand that we have good and ethical employment practices.
We heard from both Fonterra and Zespri about their excellent sustainability initiatives.
My view is that we’re doing everything right now, but the international market is largely unaware of that.
The NZ story is fine but that’s all it is, a story.
What we need to do is to have one internationally recognised sustainability scheme along the lines of Ireland’s Origin Green, and to do that will take leadership.
Let’s hope that happens sooner than later. Our future depends on it.
