Agriculture in New Zealand - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Agriculture in New Zealand is the largest sector of the tradeable economy, contributing about two-thirds of exported goods in 2006-7. For the year ended March 2002, agricultural exports were valued at over $14.8 billion. The New Zealand agricultural sector is unique in being the only developed country to be totally exposed to the international markets since subsidies, tax concessions and price supports were removed in the 1980s. Pastoral farming is the major land use but there are increases in land area devoted to horticulture.

New Zealand is a member of the Cairns Group

Cairns Group

The Cairns Group is an interest group of 19 agricultural exporting countries, composed of Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, and Uruguay.-History...

which is seeking to have free trade in agricultural goods.

History

The government offered a number of subsidies during the 1970s to assist farmers after the United Kingdom joined the European Economic Community and by the early 1980s government support provided some farmers with 40 percent of their income. In 1984 the Labour government ended all farm subsidies, and by 1990 the agricultural industry became the most deregulated sector in New Zealand. To stay competitive in the heavily subsidised European and US markets New Zealand farmers had to increase the efficiency of their operations. Animal farming is pasture based, cows and sheep are rarely housed or fed large quantities of grain, with most farmers using grass based supplements such as hay and silage

Silage

Silage is fermented, high-moisture fodder that can be fed to ruminants or used as a biofuel feedstock for anaerobic digesters. It is fermented and stored in a process called ensiling or silaging, and is usually made from grass crops, including corn , sorghum or other cereals, using the entire...

during feed shortages. Pigs are usually kept indoors, either in gestation crates, farrowing crates, fattening pens, or group housing.

Pastoral farming

In Northland, the major form of pastoral farming

Pastoral farming

Pastoral farming is farming aimed at producing livestock, rather than growing crops. Examples include dairy farming, raising beef cattle, and raising sheep for wool. In contrast, mixed farming is growing of both crops and livestock on the same farm. Pastoral farmers are also known as graziers...

is beef cattle. In the Waikato

Waikato

The Waikato Region is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato, Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the northern King Country, much of the Taupo District, and parts of Rotorua District...

and Taranaki areas, dairy cattle predominate. Through the rest of New Zealand, sheep farming is the major rural activity, with beef cattle farming in the hills and high country, and dairying increasing in Canterbury

Canterbury, New Zealand

The New Zealand region of Canterbury is mainly composed of the Canterbury Plains and the surrounding mountains. Its main city, Christchurch, hosts the main office of the Christchurch City Council, the Canterbury Regional Council - called Environment Canterbury - and the University of Canterbury.-...

, Otago

Otago

Otago is a region of New Zealand in the south of the South Island. The region covers an area of approximately making it the country's second largest region. The population of Otago is...

and Southland

Southland Region

Southland is New Zealand's southernmost region and is also a district within that region. It consists mainly of the southwestern portion of the South Island and Stewart Island / Rakiura...

.

Dairying
New Zealand is the world's eighth largest milk producer, with about 2.2% of world production. Total production was 1.3 billion kg of milk solids, and NZD 8.38 billion of dairy products were exported in the year ending 30 September 2007. There are approximately 4.2 million dairy milking cows in New Zealand, and 5.26 million dairy cattle in total at 30 June 2007, an increase from 3 million in 1982. In mid-2005, there were 12,786 dairy farms, with a total area of 2.1 million hectares.

Traditional dairy production areas are the wetter areas of the country: Waikato, Taranaki, Southland, Northland, Horowhenua, Manawatu and Westland.

Fonterra

Fonterra

Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited is a New Zealand multinational dairy co-operative owned by almost 10,500 New Zealand farmers. The company is responsible for approximately 30% of the world's dairy exports and with revenue exceeding NZ$19.87 billion, is New Zealand's largest company.- History :In...

is the major processor of milk in New Zealand. It processes 94.8 percent of all milk solids from dairy farms. Other large dairy companies are Tatua Co-operative Dairy Company, Westland Milk Products

Westland Milk Products

Westland Milk Products is the trading name of Westland Co-operative Dairy Company Limited, an independent co-operative dairy company. It is owned by over 340 farmer shareholders, who supply milk to the factory for processing...

and Synlait.

Livestock
Livestock is predominately grass-fed, but hay and silage is used in the winter months to make up for slower pasture growth.

There were 38.5 million sheep and 4.39 million beef cattle in New Zealand in June 2007. The number of sheep saw a substantial fall from the 70.3 million in 1982, while beef cattle numbers declined by about ten percent over the same period. In June 2006. 573 thousand tonnes of sheep meat was produced in 2006-7, and 164 thousand tonnes of clean wool. NZD 2.08 billion of lamb, NZD 283 million of mutton, and NZD 938 million of raw wool and wool products was exported in the year ending 30 September 2007. Production of beef and veal in 2006-7 was 623 thousand tonnes, with NZD 1.64 billion in exports. There were 13,254 beef farms, 13,905 sheep farms and 1,614 mixed beef/sheep farms in 2005, with areas of 1.5 million hectares, 8.1 million hectares, and 655 thousand hectares respectively.

Deer farming has increased dramatically from a herd of 150,000 in 1982 to 1.59 million in 2006, with 1,617 deer farms occupying 218 thousand hectares of land in 2005. NZD 252 of venison was exported in the year ending 30 September 2007. New Zealand is the largest exporter of farmed venison in the world. In the 1970s and 80s there was a huge industry carrying out live deer recovery from forested areas of New Zealand. The deer are a pest animal that has a negative impact on the biodiversity of New Zealand

Biodiversity of New Zealand

The biodiversity of New Zealand, a large Pacific archipelago, is one of the most unusual on Earth, due to its long isolation from other continental landmasses. Its affinities are derived from Gondwana, from which it separated 82 million years ago, New Caledonia and Lord Howe Island, both of which...

. The deer-farm stock was bred from the recovered wild animals.

In 2005, there were 264 pig farms with a total area of 12,831 hectares. There were also 855 mixed livestock farms and 633 other livestock farms, with areas of 178 and 18 thousand hectares, respectively. The 50 thousand tonnes of pork produced in 2007 was supplemented by 40 thousand tonnes of imported pork products to meet domestic demand.

14.7 million chickens were raised for meat in 2007, with 145 tonnes of chicken meat produced. No other poultry is raised in significant numbers in New Zealand. Approximately 3.1 million laying hens are kept, producing 900 million eggs in 2006.

Goats are also farmed for meat, milk, and mohair, and to control weeds.

Forestry

Milling of New Zealand's extensive native forests was one of the earliest industries in the settlement of the country. The long, straight hardwood from the kauri

Agathis

The genus Agathis, commonly known as kauri or dammar, is a relatively small genus of 21 species of evergreen tree. The genus is part of the ancient Araucariaceae family of conifers, a group once widespread during the Jurassic period, but now largely restricted to the Southern Hemisphere except for...

was ideal for ship masts and spars. As the new colony was established, timber was the most common building material, and vast areas of native forest were cleared. Rimu

Dacrydium cupressinum

Dacrydium cupressinum, commonly known as rimu, is a large evergreen coniferous tree endemic to the forests of New Zealand. It is a member of the southern conifer group, the podocarps. The former name "red pine" has fallen out of common use....

, tōtara

Podocarpus totara

Podocarpus totara is a species of podocarp tree endemic to New Zealand. It grows throughout the North Island and northeastern South Island in lowland, montane and lower subalpine forest at elevations of up to 600 m.-Description:...

, matai

Prumnopitys taxifolia

Prumnopitys taxifolia is an endemic New Zealand coniferous tree that grows on the North Island and South Island. It also occurs on Stewart Island/Rakiura but is uncommon there....

, and miro

Prumnopitys ferruginea

Prumnopitys ferruginea is an evergreen coniferous tree which is endemic to New Zealand. Before the genus Prumnopitys was distinguished, it was treated in the related genus Podocarpus as Podocarpus ferrugineus....

were the favoured timbers. The Monterrey Pine, Pinus radiata was introduced to New Zealand in the 1850s. It thrived in the conditions, reaching maturity in 28 years, much faster than in its native California. It was found to grow well in the infertile acidic soil of the volcanic plateau, where attempts at agriculture had failed. The Government initiated planting of exotic forests in 1899 at Whakarewarewa

Whakarewarewa

Whakarewarewa is a geothermal area within Rotorua city in the Taupo Volcanic Zone of New Zealand...

, near Rotorua. This was to address growing timber shortages as slow-growing native forests were exhausted.
In the 1930s, vast areas of land were planted in pinus ratiata by relief workers. The largest tract was the 188,000-hectare Kāingaroa forest

Kaingaroa Forest

Kaingaroa Forest is the largest forest in the North Island of New Zealand, and the largest plantation in the southern hemisphere.The forest covers 2900 km² in the inland East Cape and Bay of Plenty regions, and stretches south past the east coast of Lake Taupo...

, the largest plantation forest in the world. As the major forests matured, processing industries such as the Kinleith Mill

Kinleith Mill

The Kinleith Mill is a Carter Holt Harvey pulp and paper plant located at Kinleith, Tokoroa, New Zealand. The mill is the largest of four pulp and paper mills operated by Carter Holt Harvey...

at Tokoroa

Tokoroa

Tokoroa is the third-largest town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand and largest settlement in the South Waikato district. Located 30 km southwest of Rotorua, close to the foot of the Mamaku Ranges, it is mid-way between Taupo and Hamilton on State Highway One...

and the Tasman Mill

Tasman Mill

The Tasman Mill is a pulp and paper mill located just outside the town of Kawerau in New Zealand. Tasman Mill is the largest single in employer in the Eastern Bay of Plenty region. Three separate companies operate within Tasman including Norske Skog, who operate the paper mill, Carter Holt Harvey,...

at Kawerau were established.

Plantation forests of various sizes can now be found in all regions of New Zealand except Central Otago and Fiordland. In 2006 their total area was 1.8 million hectares, with 89% in Pinus radiata and 5% in Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
Log harvesting in 2006 was 18.8 million m³, down from 22.5 million m³ in 2003. This is projected to rise as high as 30 million m³ as newer forests mature. The value of all forestry exports (logs, chips, sawn timber, panels and paper products) for the year ended 31 March 2006 was $NZ 3.62 billion. This is projected to rise to $4.65 billion by 2011. Australia accounts for just over 25% of export value, mostly paper products, followed by Japan, South Korea, China and the United States. Within the New Zealand economy, forestry accounts for approximately 4% of national GDP. On the global stage, the New Zealand forestry industry is a relatively small contributor in terms of production, accounting for 1% of global wood supply for industrial purposes.

Horticulture

Fruit
There are about 400 growers of stone fruit who utilise 3 thousand hectares of land, mostly in the Hawke's Bay and Otago regions. Three quarters of the fruit produced is consumed domestically. Peaches, nectarines and plums are produced for domestic consumption, and apricots and cherries, almost all from Otago, are exported.

About 30 varieties of apples and pears are exported, with over 16 million tray carton equivalents (18 kg) of apples and 300 thousand tce's of pears exported in 2007. Most pipfruit is grown in the Hawke's Bay and Tasman regions, with about 10 thousand hectares planted.

Kiwifruit is grown in many regions of the North Island and in the north of the South Island, but is most concentrated in the Bay of Plenty. There are 2,700 kiwifruit growers, with over 13 thousand hectares planted. Over 80 million trays of kiwifruit were exported in 2006, about one-quarter of the world's production. Kiwifruit is New Zealand's largest horticultural export by value.

There were over 29 thousand hectares planted in grapes in 2007, mostly in Marlborough, Hawke's Bay and Gisborne. 205 thousand tonnes of grapes are produced annually. There were 543 wineries in 2007.

Citrus fruit is grown in Gisborne, Northland and Auckland. Blackcurrants and other berry fruits are grown in Tasman, Waikato, Canterbury and Auckland. Avocados and other subtropical fruits are grown in Northland and the Bay of Plenty.

Total exports of fresh fruit were worth NZD 1,200 million in 2007, and NZD 105 million of processed fruit was also exported. 76 million litres of wine, worth NZD 698 million, was exported.

Grains
Almost all hay and silage is consumed on the same farm as it is produced. Most supplementary feed crops are grown in the South Island, where the colder climate forces additional feeding of stock during winter.

Wheat is mostly grown in the Canterbury region and is used for domestic consumption in bread and biscuits. By-products are bran and pollard, which are used for stock feed.

Barley is used for stock feed and for malt. Some barley is exported, depending on international price fluctuations.

Maize is grown in the Waikato and Manawatu-Wanganui regions as feed for chickens, pigs and cattle.

Oats are grown in Canterbury and Southland for animal feed, and for rolled oats and oatmeal.

Vegetables
Vegetable growing occupies more than 50 thousand hectares of land and employs 25 thousand people. More than 50 different vegetables are grown in New Zealand. Approximately 1,450 growers produce fresh vegetables with a value of over NZD 400 million in 2007. NZD 260 million of fresh vegetables, mainly onions and squash, were exported in 2007. 750 growers produce vegetables worth over NZD 100 million for processing, and NZD 297 of processed and frozen vegetables, mostly potatoes, sweetcorn and peas, were exported in 2007.

Seeds, bulbs and cut flowers
NZD 63 million worth of seeds and bulbs, and NZD 43 million of cut flowers and foliage, were exported in 2007.

Aquaculture

Aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants. Aquaculture involves cultivating freshwater and saltwater populations under controlled conditions, and can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is the...

started in New Zealand in the late 1960s and is dominated by mussels, oysters and salmon. In 2007, aquaculture generated about NZ$360 million in sales on an area of 7,700 hectares with a total of $240 million earned in exports. In 2006, the aquaculture industry in New Zealand developed a strategy aimed at achieving a sustainable annual billion NZ dollar business by 2025. In 2007, the government reacted by offering more support to the growing industry.

Beekeeping

New Zealand had 2,602 beekeepers at the end of 2007, who owned 313,399 hives. Total honey production was 9.7 thousand tonnes. Pollen, beeswax, and propolis

Propolis

Propolis is a resinous mixture that honey bees collect from tree buds, sap flows, or other botanical sources. It is used as a sealant for unwanted open spaces in the hive. Propolis is used for small gaps , while larger spaces are usually filled with beeswax. Its color varies depending on its...

are also produced. Beekeepers provide pollination services to horticulturalists, which generates more income than the products of bee culture. Approximately 20–25 thousand queen bees, and 20 tonnes of packaged bees (which include worker bees and a queen) are exported live each year.

Organic farming

Organic farming is the form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control to maintain soil productivity and control pests on a farm...

practices began on a commercial scale in the 1980s and is now an increasing segment of the market with some of the larger companies such as Wattie's

Wattie's

Wattie's or Heinz Wattie's Limited is a New Zealand-based food producer of frozen and packaged fruit, vegetables, sauces, baby food, cooking sauces, dressings and pet foods....

becoming involved.

Environmental impacts

Both the original Māori people and the European colonists made huge changes to New Zealand over a relatively short time. Māori burned forest to flush out game

Game (food)

Game is any animal hunted for food or not normally domesticated. Game animals are also hunted for sport.The type and range of animals hunted for food varies in different parts of the world. This will be influenced by climate, animal diversity, local taste and locally accepted view about what can or...

and to encourage the growth of bracken

Pteridium esculentum

Pteridium esculentum, commonly known as Austral bracken or simply bracken, is a species of the bracken genus native to a number of countries in the Southern Hemisphere....

fern, which was used as a food source, and practised agriculture using plants they brought from tropical Polynesia. The Europeans logged and burned off a third of the forest cover to convert land to pastoral farming.

New Zealand's rivers and lakes are becoming increasingly nutrient

Nutrient

A nutrient is a chemical that an organism needs to live and grow or a substance used in an organism's metabolism which must be taken in from its environment. They are used to build and repair tissues, regulate body processes and are converted to and used as energy...

enriched and degraded by nitrogen

Nitrogen

Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...

, animal faecal matter, and eroded sediment

Sediment

Sediment is naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself....

. Many waterways are now unsafe for swimming. Fish and Game New Zealand

Fish and Game New Zealand

Fish and Game New Zealand is a statutory body set up to advocate for recreational hunting and fishing in New Zealand.It was set up under the Conservation Act 1987 with the statutory responsibility for the sports of freshwater sport fishing and gamebird hunting...

launched a "dirty dairying

Dirty dairying

Fish and Game started a high profile "dirty dairying" campaign to highlight the problems caused by intensification of dairy farming on the ecological health of New Zealand's freshwater environment...

" campaign to highlight the effect of intensive agriculture on waterways. Fonterra

Fonterra

, the largest dairy company in New Zealand, in conjunction with government agencies responded with the Dairying and Clean Streams Accord

Dairying and Clean Streams Accord

The Dairying and Clean Streams Accord is an agreement signed in 2003 in New Zealand between Fonterra, Ministry for the Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and regional councils...

. In 2009, the Crafar Farms

Crafar Farms

CraFarms is a group of companies of which Allan, Beth and Frank Crafar were Directors. Crafar Farms was New Zealand's largest family-owned dairy business. The family business owned 22 dry stock and dairy farms with approximately 20,000 cows in various regions of the North Island, and was put into...

group of dairy farms in the North Island became known as the 'poster boys for dirty dairying' after a string of prosecutions in the Environment Court for unlawful discharges of dairy effluent.

In 2004 the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment

Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment

The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment is an independent Officer of the New Zealand Parliament appointed by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the House of Representatives for a five-year term under the Environment Act 1986...

released a report on the environmental effects of farming in New Zealand. It noted that the trend was towards an increasing pressure on New Zealand's natural capital

Natural capital

Natural capital is the extension of the economic notion of capital to goods and services relating to the natural environment. Natural capital is thus the stock of natural ecosystems that yields a flow of valuable ecosystem goods or services into the future...

. Between 1994 and 2002 the number of dairy cows increased by 34% and the land area used grew by just 12% resulting in a more intensive land use. In the same period synthetic fertiliser use across all sectors grew by 21% and urea

Urea

Urea or carbamide is an organic compound with the chemical formula CO2. The molecule has two —NH2 groups joined by a carbonyl functional group....

use grew by 160%.

Almost half of the greenhouse gas emissions in New Zealand are due to the agricultural sector. A portion of this is due to methane

Methane

Methane is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest alkane, the principal component of natural gas, and probably the most abundant organic compound on earth. The relative abundance of methane makes it an attractive fuel...

from belching ruminants. An agricultural emissions research levy was proposed, quickly becoming known as the "Fart Tax". The proposed levy encountered opposition from the farming sector and the National Party

New Zealand National Party

The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...

, resulting in plans for the levy being abandoned. The Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium

Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium

The Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium carries out research to find methods of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from livestock. The consortium, established in 2004, has a Memorandum of Understanding with the New Zealand Government...

was formed as an alternative to imposing the levy on farmers.

Agricultural pests

A number of plant and animal introductions into New Zealand has reduced the income from farming. Tight border controls to improve biosecurity

Biosecurity

Biosecurity is a set of preventive measures designed to reduce the risk of transmission of infectious diseases, quarantined pests, invasive alien species, living modified organisms...

have been put into place to ensure any new and unwanted pests and diseases do not enter the country. Monitoring is done around sea and airports to check for any incursions.

Animal pests

The Common Brushtail Possum

Common Brushtail Possum (New Zealand)

The Common Brushtail Possum is a major agricultural and conservation pest in New Zealand. It also goes by the name Paihamu.-Introduction by European settlers:...

was introduced from Australia to establish a fur trade. It soon become one of New Zealand's most problematic invasive species

Invasive species

"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....

because of the huge effect on the biodiversity of New Zealand

Biodiversity of New Zealand

as well affecting agricultural production since it is a vector for Bovine tuberculosis. The disease now endemic in possums across approximately 38 per cent of New Zealand (known as ‘vector risk areas’). In these areas, nearly 70 per cent of new herd infections can be traced back to possums or ferrets. The Biosecurity Act 1993

Biosecurity Act 1993

Biosecurity Act 1993 is an Act of Parliament in New Zealand passed in order to prevent pests and other unwanted organisms. It was a world first.Part 5 of the Act provides for a National Pest Management Strategy and Regional Pest Management Strategy....

, which established a National Pest Management Strategy, is the legislation behind control of the disease in New Zealand. The Animal Health Board

Animal Health Board (New Zealand)

The Animal Health Board commonly known by its acronym, AHB, is an incorporated society, legally responsible for managing and implementing the National Pest Management Strategy for bovine tuberculosis in New Zealand. Its powers derive from the Biosecurity Act 1993 and its mission is to eradicate...

(AHB) operates a nationwide programme of cattle testing and possum control with the goal of eradicating M. bovis from wild vector species across 2.5 million hectares – or one quarter – of New Zealand’s at-risk areas by 2026 and, eventually, eradicating the disease entirely.

Possums are controlled through a combination of trapping

Trapping

Trapping may refer to:* Animal trapping, the remote capture of animals* Trapping , a fighting technique and range* Trap , a color management technique* Mantrap, a security device...

, ground-baiting and, where other methods are impractical, aerial treament with 1080 poison.

From 1979–1984, possum control was stopped due to lack of funding. In spite of regular and frequent TB testing of cattle herds, the number of infected herds snowballed and continued to increase until 1994. The area of New Zealand where there were TB wild animals expanded from about 10 to 40 per cent.

That possums are such effective transmitters of TB appears to be facilitated by their behaviour once they succumb to the disease. Terminally ill TB possums will show increasingly erratic behaviour, such as venturing out during the daytime to get enough food to eat, and seeking out buildings in which to keep warm. As a consequence they may wander on to paddocks, where they naturally attract the attention of inquisitive cattle and deer. This behaviour has been captured on video.

Plant pests

Gorse was introduced

Gorse in New Zealand

Gorse is a major invasive plant species in New Zealand and millions of dollars are spent on its control.Gorse is one of the most widely recognised agricultural weeds in New Zealand...

as a hedgerow plant but has become the most expensive agricultural plant pest costing millions of dollars in efforts to control its spread over farmland.

Other serious pasture and crop land plant pest are nodding thistle (Carduus nutans), Californian thistle (Cirsium arvense
Cirsium arvense
Cirsium arvense is a species of Cirsium, native throughout Europe and northern Asia, and widely introduced elsewhere. The standard English name in its native area is Creeping Thistle.-Alternate names:...

), ragwort (Senecio jacobaea), broom (Cytisus scoparius
Cytisus scoparius
Cytisus scoparius, the Common Broom and Scotch Broom, syn. Sarothamnus scoparius, is a perennial leguminous shrub native to western and central Europe,....

), giant buttercup (Ranunculus acris), fat-hen (Chenopodium album
Chenopodium album
Chenopodium album is a fast-growing weedy annual plant in the genus Chenopodium.Though cultivated in some regions, the plant is elsewhere considered a weed...

), willow weed (Polygonum persicaria), and hawkweed (Hieracium
Hieracium
Hieracium known by its common name Hawkweed and long ago by its classical name hierakion which comes from the ancient Greek hierax, "a hawk"...

species).

Biosecurity

Because of its geographical isolation New Zealand is free of some pest and diseases that are problematic for agricultural production in other countries. With a high level of international trade and large numbers of inbound tourists biosecurity

Biosecurity

Biosecurity is a set of preventive measures designed to reduce the risk of transmission of infectious diseases, quarantined pests, invasive alien species, living modified organisms...

is of great concern since new any pest or diseases brought into the country could potentially have a huge effect on the economy of New Zealand

Economy of New Zealand

New Zealand has a market economy which is greatly dependent on international trade, mainly with Australia, the European Union, the United States, China, and Japan. It has only small manufacturing and high-tech sectors, being strongly focused on tourism and primary industries like agriculture...

.

There have been no outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease

Foot-and-mouth disease

Foot-and-mouth disease or hoof-and-mouth disease is an infectious and sometimes fatal viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including domestic and wild bovids...

in New Zealand. If an outbreak did occur there is potential for severe economic losses given that agricultural exports are a large segment of exports. The main foot-and-mouth disease pathway is passenger arrivals and therefore there is an extensive biosecurity monitoring at ports and airports. There have been instances of suspected outbreaks of foot and mouth disease the most recent being on Waiheke Island

Waiheke Island

Waiheke Island is an island in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand, located about from Auckland.The island is the second-largest in the Hauraki Gulf after Great Barrier Island. It is the most populated, with nearly 8,000 permanent residents plus another estimated 3,400 who have second or holiday homes...

, although this is thought to be a hoax.

Tenure review

Many areas of the high country of the South Island were set up as large sheep and cattle stations in the late 19th century. Much of this land was leased from The Crown

The Crown

The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...

but after the passing of the Crown Pastoral Land Act 1998

Crown Pastoral Land Act 1998

The Crown Pastoral Land Act is an Act of Parliament in New Zealand.The Act began the process of tenure review of land holdings in the high country of the South Island.-See also:*List of Statutes of New Zealand...

the leases were reviewed. Environmentalists and academics raised concerns about the process saying that farmers were gaining an advantage and that conservation issues were not being resolved.

Agricultural organisations

A fixture in many rural towns is the annual Agricultural and Pastoral (A&P) shows where competitions are held for the best livestock and farm produce. Carnivals, sideshows, equestrian events and craft competitions are also held as part of the A&P shows.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (New Zealand)

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is the state sector organisation of New Zealand which deals with matters relating to agriculture, forestry and biosecurity...

is the government agency responsible for the agricultural sector. It has both policy and operational arms.

Federated Farmers

Federated Farmers

Federated Farmers of New Zealand Incorporated is an organisation in New Zealand which lobbies on behalf of its member farmers.It has a network of 24 provinces and seven industry groups. Federated Farmers provides a locally based, democratic organisation that lobbies on farming issues both...

is a large and influential lobby group that represents farmers interests. It has a voluntary membership which stands at over 26,000.

The Soil & Health Association of New Zealand

Soil & Health Association of New Zealand

Soil & Health Association of New Zealand, established in 1941, is an organisation that promotes organic food and farming in New Zealand.The organisation publishes the Organic NZ magazine....

, established in 1941, promotes organic food and farming.

The New Zealand Young Farmers

New Zealand Young Farmers

New Zealand Young Farmers is a national agricultural organisation with regional clubs throughout the country. It was formed in 1927 in the town of Fielding. The organisation acts as a social network for rural youth around the country and is actively involved in education and promotion of personal...

is a national organisation formed in 1927 with regional clubs throughout the country. It runs the annual Young Farmer Contest.

Future of New Zealand agriculture

There are two main views on the immediate future of New Zealand agriculture. One is that, due to fast-rising consumer demand in India and China, the world is entering a golden age for commodities, and New Zealand is well placed to take advantage of this. The other view is that New Zealand will only gain limited rewards from this boom because of increasing production competition from developing countries. For New Zealand to remain competitive, farmers will either have to intensify production to remain commodity producers (increasing stock and fertiliser per hectare) or, instead, become producers of higher value, more customised products.

AgResearch Ltd (New Zealand's largest Crown Research Institute) believes that new technologies will allow New Zealand farmers to double their output by 2020, while simultaneously reducing greenhouse-gas emissions and other detrimental environmental impacts associated with farming practices.

Impact on New Zealand culture

Rural New Zealand has had an impact on the culture of New Zealand.

Country Calendar
Country Calendar
Country Calendar is a television series covering rural life in New Zealand. Established in March 1966 and screening every year since, it is New Zealand's longest-running television series...

is a long running television programme about farming methods and country life, and is watched by both rural and urban New Zealanders.

The gumboot, a waterproof boot commonly used by farmers and others, is a cultural icon with Taihape hosting an annual Gumboot Day

Gumboot Day

Gumboot Day is a native celebration of Taihape, New Zealand. It occurs the Tuesday after Easter, and has been a regular event since 1985. It is a celebration of all things to do with gumboots, and includes the famous gumboot throwing contest....

. Fred Dagg

Fred Dagg

Fred Dagg is a fictional archetype satirist from New Zealand created and acted on stage, film and television by satirist John Clarke. Clarke graced New Zealand TV screens as Dagg during the mid to late 1970s, "taking the piss" out of the post-pioneering Kiwi bloke and ‘blokesses’.When Clarke first...

, a comedy character created by John Clarke

John Clarke (satirist)

John Morrison Clarke is a New Zealand-born Australian comedian, writer, and satirist. He was born in Palmerston North, New Zealand, and has lived in Australia since the late 1970s...

was a stereotypical farmer wearing a black singlet, shorts and gumboots.

Number 8 wire

Number 8 wire

Number 8 wire is a gauge of wire on the British Standard wire gauge that has entered into the cultural lexicon of New Zealand.It has not been sold under that name for three decades, since it was replaced with the equivalent 4.0 mm wire in the metric system. As such it is still widely used in...

is used for fencing and has become part of the cultural lexicon. It is used for all manner of tasks and it describes the do it yourself

Do it yourself

Do it yourself is a term used to describe building, modifying, or repairing of something without the aid of experts or professionals...

mentality of New Zealanders.

External links

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Statistics New Zealand – Primary production page
MAF Biosecurity New Zealand
Organics Aotearoa New Zealand
Soil & Health Association of New Zealand
Country-Wide magazine – In-depth information helping farmers make more money (based in New Zealand)
The Deer Farmer – The Deer Farmer Business Independent: The world's premier deer farming journal (based in New Zealand)
The Farmer in New Zealand (1941 Centennial publication)
The TBfree New Zealand programme

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

History

Pastoral farming

Forestry

Horticulture

Aquaculture

Beekeeping

Organic farming

Environmental impacts

Agricultural pests

Animal pests

Plant pests

Biosecurity

Tenure review

Agricultural organisations

Future of New Zealand agriculture

Impact on New Zealand culture

See also

Further reading

External links