Sep 13, 2024
Executive Committee Report
Well, its officially spring and “button draft” is in full swing. The grass is growing here in Hawkes Bay with the warmer weather, though its not unusual to have four seasons in one day. Spring is definitely springing with the lucerne bolting out of the ground and things looking a couple of weeks ahead of a usual year.
The NZDFA Executive Committee have just finished two days of meetings in Wellington. We had the opportunity to catch up with the NVSB and the NVSB auditors, Camille Flack (president of the NZ Veterinary Association Deer special Interest branch), Rhys Griffith and Paddy Boyd (DINZ’s new CEO and chair), and DINZ staff regarding their portfolios.
We had a lot of business to get through so I will give you a summary of the important things going on…
First, and probably most importantly, the China Velvet access is looking very positive, and we have the team from DINZ and MPI that have worked hard on this to thank. MPI have understood the timelines we are working towards, and it is no mean feat to be where we are currently. There are a lot of cogs in this wheel that have needed lining up and it is clear the systems set up by the NVSB have helped make this possible. The value of the strict rules around the use, availability, and auditing of drugs, the RCS programme for sheds, and assurances that farmers velveting are doing it to the highest standards have all been an important part of the agreement.
It is vital that we maintain and respect these standards as they are our licence to continue to operate and sell our product.
Secondly, our annual October NZDFA Branch Chairs meeting in Wellington is well along in the planning so, if you have anything you would like to have discussed at this meeting, get in touch with your local Branch Chair. Part of the agenda allows for regional happenings and concerns to be discussed, along with updates on industry initiatives and issues that the Branch Chairs can bring back to their DFA branches. I would urge farmers to use this strong network to keep the communication channels flowing.
Thirdly, the GHG discussion is still going on and we have Luka Jansen working hard on our behalf to get the producers point of view across with a workable outcome. The NZDFA Executive Committee are committed to lobbying on your behalf for an acceptable solution, no matter how unpalatable the whole concept is.
Finally, briefly, work is still continuing on the DFA remits brought to the Napier deer conference around how the deer industry will address science in the future, the issues with NAIT, touching base with the new leadership of DINZ and talking about what “working together” looks like. We are highly motivated to ensure that the farmer voice is both heard and understood, to ensure the industry continues to grow and thrive.
The NZDFA Executive Committee believes farming deer should be profitable and simple, as this is what will attract the next generation to the industry and retain all existing deer farmers. We will continue to ensure this remains an important focus: profitable and simple.
I hope the upcoming velveting season goes well for everyone.
Karen Middelberg
NZDFA Executive Committee
