South to North Forage Movement Encounters Difficulties

NEW ZEALAND – Hauliers are encountering logistical difficulties in delivering much needed forage to the north island, following a three month dry spell.

28 March 2013

2 minute read

Oceania

North island pastures are drying out and herds have been dried off early. Yields have fallen 20-30 per cent below of that expected for the time of year with the dairying stronghold region of Waikato being particularly hard hit.

However, despite the necessity of the deliveries difficulties are being encountered with shipments waiting to be picked up and paid for.

“This is a really tough time for drought affected farmers. Federated Farmers wants to help where we can and have been working very hard to do so,” said FFNZ President, Bruce Wills. “There are limits to what even Federated Farmers can do as we are not a transport operator, feed merchant, bank or rural trader. For a shipment of this, far-larger scale, we needed signed contracts from farmers and/or a third party to mitigate risks if farmers didn’t pay.”

“With the entire North Island drought declared, feed is required from the South Island. While commercial operators are selling feed from the South to the North, it has become apparent that there is a constraint with transport capacity.

But concerted efforts are being made to move feed to livestock.

Approximately 70,000 small bales (or equivalents) are to be shipped to needy producers in an emergency forage exercise organised by Federated Farmers of New Zealand (FFNZ).

So far, Federated Farmers, together with road transport operators, Pacifica Shipping and Hamburg Süd have completed the following shipments totalling 2,320 twenty-bale equivalents: