Agribusiness

Seven weeks ago the Otago Regional Council introduced a "suite" of new farm effluent rules designed to consign to history the unfortunate term "dirty dairying".

"Like a boat on the ocean getting seasick" is how North Otago pig farmer Gus Morton describes the current state of the pork industry, as pig farmers struggle with a deficit situation. Agribusiness reporter Sally Rae reports.

The decision to allow Germany's Bay Wa Atiengesellschaft to take over local fruit marketer Turners and Growers was a sad day for pip fruit growers in New Zealand, Labour Party primary industries spokesman Damian O'Connor said yesterday.

Insider share trading in the United States gleaned almost $US2 billion ($NZ2.7 billion) in profits from the buying and selling of stock in faltering debt-laden companies, according to a prize-winning joint study undertaken by the University of Otago's School of Business and the University of California.

Last month's storm seems not only to have killed more than a million lambs, but also taken with it the hope for more orderly behaviour by farmers and the meat industry.

The wine industry has endured a tough few years, but those tough times appear not to be over just yet. Agribusiness editor Neal Wallace reports overproduction of grapes and plummeting asset values will force vineyards and wineries to amalgamate, and some to fail.

Land values may have halved and some businesses have been placed in receivership but the Central Otago wine industry appears to be over the worst.