1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,240 Speaker 1: Jamie McKay is with US host of the Country, Jamie 2 00:00:02,279 --> 00:00:02,719 Speaker 1: good Evening. 3 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:04,120 Speaker 2: Good Ay, Ryan. 4 00:00:04,320 --> 00:00:07,560 Speaker 3: Now, beef prices heading record highers in the US just 5 00:00:07,600 --> 00:00:09,879 Speaker 3: in time for the barbecue season over there. 6 00:00:10,640 --> 00:00:15,760 Speaker 2: Well, yeah, Americans, I think burgers, hamburgers all year round, 7 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:19,760 Speaker 2: that's what they want our beef for. But unbelievable prices 8 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:23,919 Speaker 2: in the US at the moment, Ryan, bodeswell for American 9 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:27,440 Speaker 2: consumers to continue to pay the base tariff rate of 10 00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 2: ten percent. That is, of course, if the base tariff 11 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:33,639 Speaker 2: rate stays at ten percent, that's another story for another day. 12 00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:37,920 Speaker 2: But my US correspondent, a guy from Lexington, Kentucky, was 13 00:00:37,960 --> 00:00:41,120 Speaker 2: on the show today. They had one thousand pounds stairs 14 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:44,519 Speaker 2: were just over one thousand pounds in imperial measurements, and 15 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:48,000 Speaker 2: they sold for over three thousand US per head. That's 16 00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:52,800 Speaker 2: over five thousand New Zealand dollars per cattle beast. Now 17 00:00:52,840 --> 00:00:55,840 Speaker 2: I did some maths on this one. Those thousand and 18 00:00:55,920 --> 00:00:58,880 Speaker 2: thirty eight pounds are quate to four hundred and seventy 19 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:02,560 Speaker 2: two kilos, which equates to six dollars thirty eight are 20 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:05,920 Speaker 2: kilogram US dollars. Convert that to New Zealand dollars at 21 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:09,680 Speaker 2: a sixty cent exchange rate. You've got ten dollars sixty 22 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:11,920 Speaker 2: three and that is running round in the paddock that's 23 00:01:11,959 --> 00:01:16,280 Speaker 2: on the hoof. Ryan. By the time you process that 24 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:20,040 Speaker 2: animal and get the yield at sixty percent I sixty 25 00:01:20,040 --> 00:01:24,399 Speaker 2: percent meat, forty percent the rest is thrown away. That 26 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:28,520 Speaker 2: equates to seventeen dollars seventy per kilogram in New Zealand money. 27 00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:31,800 Speaker 2: Currently New Zealand farmers are being paid eight to eight 28 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:35,760 Speaker 2: dollars fifty a kilogram for beef, so they're paying enormous 29 00:01:35,800 --> 00:01:38,080 Speaker 2: prices for beef in the US at the moment. 30 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:41,199 Speaker 3: Yeah, it sounds like it too, Jamie Beef and Lamb 31 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:44,800 Speaker 3: here and the Meat Industry Association pointing out some potential 32 00:01:44,880 --> 00:01:48,400 Speaker 3: loopholes on the government's plan for a ban on farmer 33 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:49,320 Speaker 3: forestry conversions. 34 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:51,640 Speaker 1: What's happening with this, Yeah. 35 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:53,600 Speaker 2: Well, they're saying they need to tighten some of these 36 00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:57,400 Speaker 2: loopholes because there's too many people sneaking through. And I'm 37 00:01:57,440 --> 00:01:59,400 Speaker 2: with them on this one. I think we're almost shutting 38 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:02,200 Speaker 2: the stable or after the horse has bolted. Because the 39 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:05,200 Speaker 2: government made the announcement on the fourth of December last year. 40 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:08,560 Speaker 2: Down on Southland, there's been heaps of conversions happening, some 41 00:02:08,639 --> 00:02:11,320 Speaker 2: going through the back door since then. So what they're 42 00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:14,840 Speaker 2: saying is they want the government to extend the proposed 43 00:02:14,919 --> 00:02:19,120 Speaker 2: mauratorium on whole farm conversions blanket planting of farms to 44 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:24,920 Speaker 2: all land classes, not just classes one to five. Otherwise, 45 00:02:24,960 --> 00:02:27,880 Speaker 2: they're saying it's just going to have too big an 46 00:02:27,919 --> 00:02:31,440 Speaker 2: effect on the pastoral industry in this country. They're also saying, 47 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:33,800 Speaker 2: and this is another one, New Zealand's the only country 48 00:02:33,800 --> 00:02:38,400 Speaker 2: in the world ryan aside from Kazakhstan, that places no 49 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:43,000 Speaker 2: restrictions on the use of forestry offsets. We're allowed hundred 50 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:47,160 Speaker 2: percent offsetting here for exalting plantings to go into the ets. 51 00:02:47,520 --> 00:02:50,880 Speaker 2: No other country but Kazakhstan does that. And they've thrown 52 00:02:50,919 --> 00:02:53,520 Speaker 2: some numbers out there just for good measure. They're saying 53 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:56,680 Speaker 2: since twenty seventeen, and the forestry people will probably argue 54 00:02:56,720 --> 00:03:00,680 Speaker 2: against these, but they're saying since twenty seventeen, three hundred 55 00:03:00,720 --> 00:03:04,079 Speaker 2: thousand hectares of whole sheep and beef farms have been 56 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:07,120 Speaker 2: sold to forestry interests. Some of it, to be fair, 57 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:11,560 Speaker 2: is into production forestry. They're estimating a further fifty thousand 58 00:03:11,560 --> 00:03:14,200 Speaker 2: hectares is going to go before these new rules take 59 00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:17,520 Speaker 2: effect later this year. They're saying this could lead to 60 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:21,880 Speaker 2: a million hectares lost by the year twenty fifty. They're 61 00:03:21,919 --> 00:03:25,120 Speaker 2: saying these land use changes could reduce livestock numbers by 62 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:27,840 Speaker 2: two and a half million stock units and shrink the 63 00:03:27,880 --> 00:03:32,240 Speaker 2: sheep and beef sectors grassland base by up to twenty percent. 64 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:36,320 Speaker 2: So they're not good numbers. Yes, the problem continues. 65 00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:39,400 Speaker 1: Hey, what about fed farmers because we've spoken before about 66 00:03:39,600 --> 00:03:43,440 Speaker 1: Groundswell right behind pulling out of the Paris Agreement, but 67 00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:46,360 Speaker 1: fed farmers not lobbying the government to do that. 68 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:49,480 Speaker 2: No, well fed farmers has gone into bat with other 69 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:51,920 Speaker 2: industry good bodies like dairy and zed and beef and 70 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:55,200 Speaker 2: lamb on this one. President Wayne Langford is a fairly 71 00:03:55,720 --> 00:03:58,520 Speaker 2: solid sort of thinker, to my way of thinking, said 72 00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:01,360 Speaker 2: he sat in rooms with dairy company leaders who say 73 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:04,520 Speaker 2: that it could shave as much as three dollars off 74 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:07,800 Speaker 2: the dairy price a kilogram of milk solids, So why 75 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:11,640 Speaker 2: would we even be talking about it. On contrast, that 76 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:15,240 Speaker 2: Groundswell co leader Bryce Lawrence, I was going to say 77 00:04:15,240 --> 00:04:18,280 Speaker 2: he's a rugby referee. Hello, Bryce, If you're listening. Bryce 78 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:22,839 Speaker 2: mackenzie isn't surprised. He said Federated Farmers normally take a 79 00:04:22,839 --> 00:04:25,479 Speaker 2: more conservative line than they do and they could be 80 00:04:25,560 --> 00:04:29,839 Speaker 2: working strategically with the government. He says, though, Federated Farmers 81 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:34,040 Speaker 2: had better be careful because they're a subscription paying organization. 82 00:04:34,520 --> 00:04:37,000 Speaker 2: If they don't do what their members want, they mightn't 83 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:42,479 Speaker 2: get those subscriptions. He says he should I say the 84 00:04:42,720 --> 00:04:45,400 Speaker 2: Kate Kate Ackland from beef and Land, New Zealand, says 85 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:47,919 Speaker 2: we would join a small group of countries outside the 86 00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:51,640 Speaker 2: agreement if we got out of Paris, Libya, Yemen, Iran, 87 00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:55,480 Speaker 2: Eritrea and South Sudan. She did neglect, however, to mention 88 00:04:56,320 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 2: the elephant or the orange elephant in the room the US. 89 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:01,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, a good point too, Jamie. Thank you for that, 90 00:05:02,080 --> 00:05:04,559 Speaker 1: Jamie mccaye, host of the Country. Here on News Talks, 91 00:05:04,560 --> 00:05:08,279 Speaker 1: It'd beg for more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive. Listen 92 00:05:08,360 --> 00:05:09,359 Speaker 1: live to News Talks. 93 00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:12,600 Speaker 2: It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast 94 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:13,680 Speaker 2: on iHeartRadio.