Final season of Sheep Poo Study – farmers needed nationwide, Celebrating our Rural Women’s Day (15 October), MPI guide to the new Animal Status Declaration, World Iron Awareness Week (13–19 October)
This page contains this week’s e-diary national notices.
If there’s something you want to know specific to your region, contact your local extension manager – find their details here.
To sign up to e-diaries, create/login to a B+LNZ online account, go to ‘Account settings’ and select the e-diary box – you’ll be asked to pick which region/s you want to receive e-diaries for.
See elsewhere on our website for other e-diary info:
This week’s notices:
Tax, Rapid Rural Damage Assessment and damaged irrigator information for storm-affected farmers
Provisional tax is currently due. The timing is not ideal for those making those payments, but there are options available from IRD. This is a Rapid Rural Damage Assessment that farmers can do. If you have already completed this, only redo if something has changed. Farmers can get help through this avenue. Information about damaged irrigators is also available for storm-affected farmers. Look out for community events being organised in your area.
Entries open for 2026 Beef + Lamb New Zealand Awards
Everyone knows someone, or something, making our sector world-leading – it's time to celebrate them! Enter or nominate someone for a 2026 B+LNZ Award. There are eight B+LNZ Award categories to choose from – learn more and enter or nominate today on B+LNZ’s website. Entries close 8 December 2025.
B+LNZ welcomes announcement on biosecurity
This week, the Government announced proposed changes to NZ’s biosecurity laws aimed at strengthening protections against invasive pests and diseases. NZ’s border biosecurity is stringent by world standards but it’s critical that every practical step is taken to maintain and improve protections, so B+LNZ welcomes the changes, which include: increased fines for travellers who fail to declare risk goods at the border; improved management of established pests and diseases, including faster approval of pest management plans and faster processes to get responses underway in emergencies; enabling compensation for direct and consequential losses in the event of an incursion for 24 months; compensation may be withheld due to serious breaches of the Biosecurity Act or NAIT Act. For more information, see Minister Hoggard’s media release here.
Seeking ram nominations for B+LNZ’s Sheep Progeny Test
B+LNZ invites stud breeders to nominate rams for the 2026 mating of the Sheep Central Progeny Test (CPT). Open to Maternal and Terminal sires, the CPT underpins NZ’s sheep genetic evaluation (the NZGE). Including a ram from your breed group 'connects' you to the NZGE and validates the performance of your group’s flocks against other NZ flocks. Nominations close Friday 21 November. Access the nomination form here.