No.8 Wire: Plan rids agricultural rigmarole

Beef exports are set to hit quota limits.

Agricultural contractors around New Zealand will soon be able to bring in overseas workers much easier than in the past - following a deal struck between its national body and Immigration NZ.

Rural Contractors NZ (RCNZ) president Steve Levet says his organisation has been working with Immigration New Zealand for a long time in an effort to resolve the problems around contractors bringing in overseas workers for the harvest season.

"After many meetings and a lot of hard work by RCNZ - together with Immigration NZ - we believe we have come up with a solution that will solve many of the problems that rural contractors currently experience every year and make it much easier to bring in overseas workers," Mr Levet says. "Members who are registered with RCNZ will now be able to apply to bring in overseas workers under our umbrella, rather than go through all the hoops and hurdles they currently have to as individuals."

Steve Levet describes the new scheme as great news for the sector and believes it will streamline and simplify the whole process of bringing in overseas workers - rather than the rigmarole agricultural contractors currently have to endure.

The new scheme will see RCNZ applying for an Approval in Principle (AIP) on behalf of all members of the national body and contractors. Contractors will then be able to apply online for a visa for the person being recruited - without having to advertise or go through other requirements causing difficulty.

Help with growing cypresses, eucalypts A series of short videos and notes providing basic, practical information on growing cypresses and eucalypts for timber is now available.

The resources, produced thanks to the MPI, Sustainable Farming Fund, can be found on the New Zealand Farm Forestry Association website.

Cypresses and eucalypts are the two most widespread alternatives to radiata pine grown on farms and in small-scale plantations around New Zealand.

Both species have the potential to produce high-value timber with a range of end uses, but growing them well requires more skill and attention to detail than is needed with radiata pine.

Links to the resources:

-Eucalypts: bit.do/nzffa-cypress-video

-Cypresses: bit.do/nzffa-eucs-video

Low biosecurity risk at airports

Horticulture New Zealand was satisfied with the results from the just-completed Ministry for Primary Industries passenger "border exit" survey, which showed 98.7 per cent of international air passengers were free of biosecurity risk items by the time they left the airport.

This was the first time since MPI started doing this check in 2012 that the survey had surpassed the target MPI set itself - to be better than 98.5 per cent.

The 2014/15 compliance survey was conducted in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch and included 10,500 passengers.

The survey checks passengers after they have gone through all the standard border checks.

Other results from the survey showed 99.5 per cent of passengers meet medium and high-risk goods requirements by the time they left the airport and 99.9 per cent comply with biosecurity requirements associated with goods that could host fruit-fly.

Beef exports to reach quota limits

New Zealand and Australia beef exports to the United States are set to reach their quota limits in Q4.

Meanwhile, global economic conditions - such as the appreciation of the US dollar and the depreciation of the yuan and the real - are having an impact on beef trade, according to the Rabobank Beef Quarterly Q3.

A strong US dollar has led to a reduction in United States exports and support for United States imports, while a weakening Chinese economy and devaluation of the yuan are curbing beef prices in China, and the devaluation of the real is expected to support Brazilian exports in the coming months.