Bruce wills - Chairperson Federated Farmers Meat & Fibre
While it is timely to celebrate the good news concerning the returns that meat and fibre farmers are now getting, we must not forget that the lives of very many people in Canterbury will never be the same again following the two earthquakes they have suffered over recent months.

While the farming community very fortunately escaped the worst of damage in the most recent earthquake, urban Christchurch was not so lucky. This tragedy has highlighted for me the transient nature of life and reinforced how important relationships are to us all. While of most importance are the ties we have with family and friends, it has been heartening to see the strength of the bonds evident within the New Zealand community as people support and help each other at so many levels.

On behalf of Federated Farmers Meat & Fibre, I would like to express my sympathy to all who have lost loved ones or whose lives have been disrupted by this event.

I would like to use this this opportunity also to thank all the farmers, processors and others who have chosen to support the Federation's "Meat the needs of Christchurch"  by donating meat, wool, cash and resources to this very good cause.

On a similarly positive note, from the viewpoint of the farm-gate returns that meat and fibre farmers are getting, our industry has, for the first time in a while, some cause for celebration. Average lamb prices that last year were around $80 will this year exceed $100, wool prices are close to double where they have been and beef prices are at record highs.

Sadly much of this rebound is directly due to our past failures, with prices up due to lower supply. Farm gate prices are now very encouraging but problems remain:

• An overhang of debt and deferred maintenance from the tough years.
• A growing fertiliser deficit with many sheep farmers still not able to afford superphosphate.
• Stock numbers well down on many farms due to drought and storms.
• Therisk of yet another boom/bust with the good times gone before many have had the chance to repair their balance sheets.

This country's sheep farmers need to learn from history. How many times have we been through these cycles only to see yet more bad times quickly follow promises of recovery? There are attempts now in this sector to put some fundamental change in place with new strategies to ensure long term profitability for meat and fibre farmers.

Things like the Meat Sector Strategy, wool sector reforms and FarmIQ. At last things are happening; new options are being presented to farmers.

The greatest risk now is for sheep farmers to believe that because prices have rebounded we don't need change. Look no further than the wool industry to see this risk already being realised.

The challenge for the next 12 months will be to ensure that fundamental change does take place. We produce some great products, we just need to make certain we ‘fix' the way these are produced and sold and to ensure we have the strategies and structures in place to retain a greater share of profit behind the farm gate.

Bruce Wills
Chairperson
Federated Farmers Meat & Fibre
Mobile: 027 234 1516
Phone: 06 834 9704
Email: bwills@fedfarm.org.nz

2011 Meat & Fibre Conference
This will be held on Wednesday, 29 June and the morning of Thursday, 30 June at the Distinction Rotorua. It will be followed by a Plenary Session and Awards Dinner on the Thursday afternoon and evening and the Federation's National Conference will follow on Friday, 1 July.  It is probable also that a pre-conference farm tour may be organised for Tuesday, 28 June.

Planning is well underway for these events and a Registration Form will be sent out in early April that will provide more information.

Note: The election of members of the Meat & Fibre Executive group is an important part of the Meat & Fibre Conference. If anyone is considering stepping up to a leadership position and joining this group, Nomination Forms for the various positions that are available will be sent out prior to the event. In the interim, if you wish to find out more about what this might entail, contact Bruce Wills, the Meat & Fibre Chairperson in the first instance - he will be happy to discuss the role with you.

Meat & Fibre Executive Meeting
The Executive met in Wellington on 9 March and had meetings with the Deloitte Meat Strategy team, the Commerce Commission regarding the proposed Cavalier bid for the WSI Wool scours and the B+L NZ Board.  For more information, contact a member of the Executive team, their contact details are below.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand AGM
This meeting will be held on 31 March in Canterbury. The venue is the NZ Young Farmers Tent, Site 365, Lincoln Field Days, Lincoln. The event will commence with Registration at 3.30pm and the AGM will be held from 4.30pm - 6.00pm followed by refreshments.  If you wish to attend, or for more information, contact rebecca.bartlett@beeflambnz.com

NAIT
The legislation that will give the National Identification and Tracing [NAIT] scheme regulatory authority is currently before Parliament. Federated Farmers has submitted on the Bill and the submission will be available on the Federation's website once we have appeared before the Primary Production Select Committee to speak in support of our submission.

Draft regulations are still to be published and these will provide much of the detail required about what (and how) people who have obligations under this legislation will need to do to comply. The Federation will be consulting with members about this when the draft regulations are released for public consultation.The NAIT scheme is scheduled to commence, for cattle, on 1 November 2011. NAIT has recently provided some of the information that farmers will need in a brochure titled "Latest cattle tagging info". This document can be found on the NAIT website by clicking here.

If you need a hard copy of the document, please contact David Burt, the Meat & Fibre Policy Advisor by e-mail or phone 0800 327 646.

Wool Partners Cooperative proposal
The WPC proposal for the creation of a new, grower-owned strong wool company, despite attracting considerable support, was unsuccessful and has been withdrawn. 

Red Meat sector strategy - progress
The Deloitte facilitated survey of farmers and other sector stakeholders that is playing a key part in the development of the strategy is now complete. Their key interim findings have since been discussed with farmers at a series of stakeholder meetings held recently.

The next stage will be for Deloitte to present their findings in a report to the strategy funders by the end of March. The final step will be for the funders to launch the report in early May - and most importantly, to outline how the sector can then action and implement the findings.

The Wool Group
Under the Chairmanship of Colin Harvey, this group continues to work towards the development of a single industry voice. Bruce Wills remains on the group, ensuring that wool growers' voices are heard.

Sheep have smarts
Recent research has confirmed what sheep farmers already know - that sheep are "far more intelligent than they have previously been given credit for".   The Telegraph reports that the research, carried out at the University of Cambridge has found that sheep  "... have the brainpower to equal rodents, monkeys and, in some tests, even humans".  Read the Telegraph article by clicking here.

Courses in feeding and pastures
Maximising the health and quality of your pastures and stock is vital to a well-run farm. AgITO's National Certificate in Agriculture, Animal Feeding and Pastures (Level 3) addresses these areas. Topics covered include pasture species, weeds and the impact an agricultural system will have on soil. You will also learn about different methods of grazing, how to balance the supply and demand of feed and assist with livestock grazing management. To enrol or find out more, contact your local AgITO training adviser today on 0800 691 111 or click here to visit their website.

Check employee references
Federated Farmers Bay of Plenty reminds all farm employers to check the references of potential employees, following some incidents that have been reported to the provincial president, John Scrimgeour.  While tempting to take potential employees at face value, what people say and how they act when employed can be completely different.  Employers, as a matter of course, should check all references and if possible, that should include the immediate past employer.  For most farm employers (employing 20 or fewer staff), risk with new employees should have been reduced so long as your employment contracts have a 90 days clause; allowing you to dismiss an employee without risk of a personal grievance for unjustified dismissal for up to 90 days.  From 1 April 2011, this is being extended to all employers irrespective of size but must be in your employment contract.  To get employment law advice, including contracts and information, call 0800 327 646.

Employment contracts and advice -  Federated Farmers work in conjunction with farming industry groups and an international legal organisation to ensure that all  the contracts and agreements we sell are current and appropriate for the rural sector.   These are available to members for $50 plus GST for a pack of two contracts.  If members would like additional assistance, extra information and support please phone 0800 FARMING (0800 327 646) Don't forget, the first 15 minutes of this advice is absolutely free to our members. Ensure  you purchase employment contracts from a reliable source and one that offers follow up support if and when you need it. 

Member benefits and offers - To view special discounts exclusive to Federated Farmers members, please call 0800 327 646 or click here to log onto our members only area.

Federated Farmers Meat & Fibre
Please remember that if you have any issues or queries you would like to discuss, please feel free to contact Federated Farmers on 0800 FARMING (327 646) or contact your local Federated Farmers Meat & Fibre representative or one of the executive team as listed below.

Head Office
PO Box 715
Wellington 6140
Tel:  04 473 7269
Fax: 04 473 1081
www.fedfarm.org.nz

Staff contact - David Burt
Tel:  0800 327 646
Fax: 04 473 1081
Email: dburt@fedfarm.org.nz

Chairperson - Bruce Wills
Tel/Fax:  06 834 9704
Mobile:   027 234 1516
Email: bwills@fedfarm.org.nz

Vice-chairperson - Jeanette Maxwell
Tel:         03 302 8860
Fax:        03 302 8849
Mobile:   027 357 4464
Email: aandjmax@xtra.co.nz

Executive members:

Hamish Cave
Tel:         06 863 9861
Fax:        06 863 9500
Mobile:   027 687 1141
Email: hamishc@gisborne.net.nz

Tim Mackintosh
Tel:  07 322 1039
Email: timmack@xtra.co.nz

Dugald McLean
Tel/Fax:  03 313 5442
Email: mcleanfam@xtra.co.nz

A full list of the Federated Farmers Meat & Fibre team can be found by clicking here.