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Protests are planned in Tauranga this weekend as the dairy industry prepares to celebrate the best of the industry.
The New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards (NZDIA) National Gala dinner will take place this Saturday, May 10, in Tauranga.
It is a night of celebration, as the farmers who are recognised are the best in the industry and take their role of kaitiaki of the land seriously, holding the welfare of their animals as their utmost priority, NZDIA said in a media release.
“NZDIA are aware of planned protests at the awards and considers this action hugely disappointing. The Awards drive best practice in dairy farming and focus on important future issues such as environmental sustainability and animal welfare.
“Safety is the priority for all attendees and protestors. NZDIA understands people have a right to peaceful protest.”
The awards programme focuses on driving understanding of the issues within dairying and what is best for New Zealand as a whole, including all the environmental issues and impacts surrounding it.
The categories, which include Share Farmer of the Year, Dairy Manager of the Year, Dairy Trainee of the Year and Fonterra Responsible Dairying Award, promote and recognise best practice and drive what is important to the future of dairying in New Zealand.
This year, two new awards will be introduced – the Fonterra & ASB First Farm Award and the ASB Alumni of the Year Award.
The awards encourage up-and-coming farmers to understand what best practice looks like and focus on the issues that are important for the future, including environmental sustainability and animal welfare, and recognise those farmers doing well in this field.
The young farmers progressing through the industry hold these values high and take their learnings and understanding of best practice with them through their farming careers.
More information on the awards can be found at www.dairyindustryawards.co.nz.
