KEY POINTS:
The National Party released its agriculture policy last week, saying there is a real and growing divide between urban and rural New Zealand that needs to be urgently addressed.
"National will investigate a number of steps to increase urban New Zealand's appreciation and understanding of our rural sector," the policy says.
The rural vote traditionally leans towards National, and its policy is not likely to surprise many.
* Resource Management Act: The core principles will remain but with a focus on reforming the regulatory processes.
* Emissions Trading Scheme: A scheme including agriculture will be implemented but not one that compromises international competitiveness.
* Property rights: Access across private land should not be a public right.
* Research and development: Support for and development of publicly funded R&D.
* Landcorp: The country's largest farmer, with more than 100 properties and 1.6 million stock units, will not be sold in the first term.
* Vets: Work with industry to solve a recruitment and retention problem.
* Others: Provide $1.5 billion to roll out a fibre-to-home broadband network, encourage rural education, pursue trade agreements, remove barriers that have caused a fractious relationship with the Department of Conservation and address the challenges of rural healthcare.
National says rural vets are at a crisis point and many areas are without a service, with working hours, remuneration, lack of social interaction, demographic changes and the generalised nature of rural vet work contributing to the problem.
National will introduce a voluntary bonding scheme offering a student-loan debt writeoff to graduate vets who take jobs in communities which are hard to staff.
The maximum annual writeoff will be about $10,000 - up to a total of $50,000. The scheme is expected to cost about $4.5 million by the third year.
National Party agriculture spokesman David Carter says there is a severe issue on the West Coast, and the East Cape in the North Island is also desperate.
However, Federated Farmers president Don Nicolson says he is not convinced there is a shortage.
"The market will, when it can, support the vets in the outer reaches of New Zealand - they'll come back."
ANIMAL WELFARE
Last month the Government announced its support for the notion of a universal declaration on animal welfare, being developed for eventual consideration and adoption by the United Nations.
New Zealand's support means it can take part in developing the text during the next few years.
About 28,000 New Zealanders have signed a petition of support for the declaration, which would not be legally binding but would encourage respect for its principles in formulating policy.
World Society for the Protection of Animals programme manager Bridget Vercoe says the Government has again proven itself a leader in improving animal welfare.
The declaration will have a long-term impact on the welfare of billions of animals worldwide by recognising them as sentient beings which feel pain and can suffer, Vercoe says.
Other countries supporting the initiative include Australia, Britain, Canada and Fiji.
SPCA Auckland chief executive Bob Kerridge says New Zealand is a welfare leader in many areas but lags behind in others.
"Some of our farming techniques are superb and are recognised worldwide as being well ahead of many other countries. But having said that, there are some areas: for instance, the continuation of battery farming is the one that probably tops our list," Kerridge says.
It is acknowledged that battery hen cages can't be removed overnight because livelihoods are at stake, he says. "However ... we've been talking about it now for over 10 years."
Kerridge also describes sow stalls used in pig farming as hideous.
The National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (Nawac) recommends codes of welfare to the Agriculture Minister.
After examining evidence, it decided alternative production systems could see pigs free to roam and perform natural behaviours but could also bring other welfare problems, with potential for aggression and crushing.
The code of welfare for pigs says sows must not be confined in farrowing crates for more than six weeks in any one reproductive cycle, and, from 2015, for no more than the first four weeks after mating in a dry sow stall.
Meanwhile an amendment to the code of welfare for layer hens last year said cage systems had the advantage of protecting bird health and welfare through environmental control and separation from faeces, but prevented birds from displaying many normal behaviours.
Enriched cages, which usually include a perch, nest box and dust bath, showed increased potential for allowing more normal behaviours, but alternative systems had possible issues of feather pecking, cannibalism, greater disease and higher mortality.
Based on current knowledge, Nawac would ideally like cages to be phased out eventually, but it has been unable to recommend alternative systems until they can be shown to consistently provide better welfare and be economically viable.
Nawac will review its decisions for pigs and layer hens next year.
Animal activist organisation New Zealand Open Rescue says sow stalls have been banned in Britain and Sweden and will be phased out in Finland, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Denmark, while Sweden and Switzerland have banned farrowing crates.
The European Union is also phasing out conventional battery hen cages by 2012.
New Zealand Pork chief executive Sam McIvor says he spoke to many British farmers. They deeply regret the banning of sow stalls as they believe welfare and performance have suffered.
"The EU's position overall is phasing down the use of sow stalls to retain their use as an option for the first four weeks after mating," McIvor says. "This is very similar to New Zealand's situation."
By world definitions probably 40 per cent of production fits free-range, barn-raised criteria, he adds.
The industry is in a phasing-down period and has committed to restricting the use of stalls.
"So it's fair to say that the New Zealand industry is ahead of the game internationally and probably suffers economically for it because there are no welfare criteria around imported product."
Egg Producers Federation executive director Michael Brooks says caged egg-production is widely recognised as safe, efficient and economic.
"Despite the claims of industry opponents, there are in fact a number of animal welfare benefits associated with the use of cages. Containment of disease is just one advantage."
Cage-production egg farmers, like all producers, are led by consumer demand, Brooks says.
"Currently, the vast majority of eggs purchased in New Zealand are sourced from cage-production systems. However, if consumers ever choose to switch in numbers to an alterative source, our industry will move with them."
Consumers do have ethics about food production, although cost often comes first, especially in times of tightening budgets.
And the definitions of welfare itself start getting somewhat subjective.
Does less chance of disease in a cage mean higher welfare, or is it the chance to behave more naturally but with greater risk of dying?
Consumers can choose to pay more for free range and supply will meet demand, but in the end people rely on the Government to set the right standard.
HAVE A FIELDAYS
A University of Waikato study into the economic impact of the National Fieldays event held at Mystery Creek in June says it's worth $865 million, with the Waikato region gaining $265 million.
An attendance of 131,629 people resulted in sales of $285 million, with export sales totalling more than $117 million - more than double the previous year's $50 million.
The agricultural show is the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.
General manager Barry Quayle says nearly half the more than 1000 exhibitors saw the event as an ideal platform to release or showcase new products and technologies.
New product releases this year were 33 per cent higher than at the previous event, and plans are to increase innovation exhibition area at next June's event, for which sites go on sale next month.
