A digitally-colorized microscopic image of Avian Influenza A (H5N1) virus particles (seen in gold), grown in epithelial cells (green). Photo: CDC/ Cynthia Goldsmith, Jacqueline Katz, Sherif R Zaki
Avian flu concerns are among stories from the RNZ rural news desk this week.
The Ministry for Primary Industries says it's only a matter of time before avian flu arrives in New Zealand. The disease has killed millions of wild birds on six continents and it has spread to mammals and dairy cattle in the United States. People are being urged to report any unexpected dead bird sightings and avoid any contact with carcasses. More on the story here.
Tractor drivers have to use public roads to get to their farm jobs but they say median barriers on some of them are unsafe. They say the barriers mean they face abuse and are being clipped by other drivers who can't pass them. Some solutions were discussed at the Rural Contractors Conference in Masterton this week. Read more here.
There's been a mixed result from the latest farmer confidence survey. Farmers are feeling more optimistic about their own businesses but less confident about the wider agri-economy. Rabobank's quarterly survey of about 450 farmers found the number thinking of their farm business as unviable dropped from 9 percent last quarter to seven per cent. Most pessimistic are sheep and beef farmers. More here.
Theft has been plaguing blueberry growers and they met at Marian Hirst's orchard, Bay Blueberries, in Hawkes Bay to discuss ways to stop the culprits. In January, she had hundreds of kilos of blueberries stolen from the orchard. The full story can be found here.
