Rabobank Best of The Country - October 23, 2021

This week on the Best of The Country, Jamie Mackay caught up with Rabobank's Head of Sustainable Business Development Blake Holgate, to talk about the UK-NZ FTA and the Government's response to the Climate Change Commission's recommendations.

This week's top interviews were:

David Seymour:

The Act Party leader commented on annual inflation at 4.9 per cent and the highest quarterly rise since 1987, a "fun but desperate" vaxathon event, and how to incentivise vaccinations with a $250 tax credit for all fully-vaxxed New Zealanders.

Jane Smith:

The North Otago farmer and award-winning environmentalist reckoned James Shaw had thrown Damien O'Connor under the climate change bus. Plus, we found why politics had been banned from the tailing pen.

Miles Hurrell:

We asked Fonterra's chief executive about what contingency plans the co-op had if Covid came to the cowshed. Plus, we reviewed another very good GDT auction (+ 2.2 per cent, WMP + 1.5 per cent).

Blake Holgate:

Rabobank's Head of Sustainable Business Development commented on the FTA with the UK and the government's response to the Climate Change Commission's recommendations, saying major food companies, such as Nestle, were increasingly setting ambitious emissions reduction targets.

Jim Hopkins:

The rural raconteur asked, "when is Wellington going to thank the farmers?".

Damien O'Connor:

The Minister of Trade (and Agriculture) trumpeted the newly announced free trade deal with the UK. The market access package is among the very best New Zealand has secured in an FTA. But what about dairy and meat having five and 15 year (respectively), delays on tariff-free trade?

Listen below: