This week on the Best of The Country, Jamie Mackay talked about a controversial Country Calendar episode and Rowena Duncum looked into New Zealand's FTA with the EU.
The week's top interviews were:
Christopher Luxon:
On Monday's show, Jamie caught up with the National Party Leader to talk about abortion, Matariki, recession and a clean-out at the top of the National Party.
Stephen Jacobi:
Earlier in the week, the executive director of the NZ International Business Forum said an FTA with the EU is coming down to the wire. He urges the Government and its negotiators to hold out for a commercially meaningful deal, especially for dairy and red meat.
Dr Jacqueline Rowarth:
A leading farming academic comments on that controversial Country Calendar programme featuring regenerative agriculture and a "Woke Woolshed."
Stuart Nash:
We talk to the Minister of Forestry about progress on preventing carbon foresters from taking over good pastoral country and basically "taking the money and running" if their carbon forests go up in a puff of smoke. And is his government ant-farming? And has anyone in Cabinet ever run a business?
Jim Hopkins:
Every man and his/her dog is having their say about Country Calendar, so what's one more? Our resident rural raconteur also has some strong words for the government in terms of giving farmers their fair dues immediately.
Malcolm Bailey:
The chair of DCANZ is also disappointed with the EU free trade agreement, as he remains unconvinced there is any "commercially meaningful access" into the EU market for dairy.
Listen below: