{"id":4476,"date":"2022-05-12T10:42:22","date_gmt":"2022-05-11T22:42:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmersweekly.co.nz\/?p=4476"},"modified":"2022-05-12T10:42:23","modified_gmt":"2022-05-11T22:42:23","slug":"nz-dairy-farmer-looks-to-head-up-world-body","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmersweekly.co.nz\/news\/nz-dairy-farmer-looks-to-head-up-world-body\/","title":{"rendered":"NZ dairy farmer looks to head up world body"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>\n

West Coast dairy farmer and former Federated Farmers president Katie Milne is making a bid to head up the World Farmers\u2019 Organisation, a Rome-based advocacy group that brings together farmer organisations and agricultural co-operatives from across the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Milne has served on the organisation\u2019s board for nearly five years and is standing for election as president at the upcoming general assembly in Budapest from June 7-10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She is one of three candidates, something she says is positive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s healthy to have options and a lot of diversity of thought and debate on the way forward,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The WFO\u2019s role is essential because it brings farmers to the table and New Zealand has specific skills and insights to share, she says.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organisations like the United Nations have multiple conversations around food production, food systems and food security \u201cand having actual farmers at those conversations is critically important\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among other things, it ensures that any policies and programmes can actually be implemented, she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Farmers add an incredible amount of value to those conversations, Milne says.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The WFO \u2013 which was formed in 2011 \u2013 has the added advantage of representing a wide spectrum from underdeveloped nations right through to fully developed countries, \u201cso we bring together the abilities and the perspectives from the ground from all those farming types\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe farm in a different style to many other parts of the world. Our economy is heavily reliant on farming, so we\u2019ve got a very innovative farming community.\u201d<\/p>Katie Milne
West Coast dairy farmer<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The WFO\u2019s clout has grown and in the past five or six years it has started to be seen as a \u201cpowerful advocacy voice\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The UN now reaches out for advice on issues like the war in Ukraine, in particular as 15% of the world\u2019s calories come from the Ukraine area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The UN\u2019s Food and Agriculture Organisation has estimated that if there is a prolonged disruption in exports of wheat, fertilisers, and other items from Ukraine and Russia, the number of undernourished people worldwide could increase by between 8 million to 13 million more people in 2022-23. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The WFO makes it possible for policymakers to understand the options on the ground, because \u201cif you don\u2019t know how a farming system works, assuming that the slack can be picked up somewhere else or by some other means is a big assumption\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Milne says NZ brings something specific to the table. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe farm in a different style to many other parts of the world. Our economy is heavily reliant on farming, so we\u2019ve got a very innovative farming community.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She says NZ agriculture doesn\u2019t benefit from the same subsidies as many farming nations, so we have a different way of looking at things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today a great deal of attention is paid to how to do better in terms of environmental impacts, biodiversity and greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe bring some leading-edge experience in the way we farm to the table.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Milne says she\u2019s been approached by several people to run and believes it\u2019s because she brings hands-on experience with farming and because \u201cthey like my style of delivery and the way I am able to put a message across\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s \u201cpretty important at the moment given that farming, especially livestock farming, is under so much pressure,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"West Coast dairy farmer and former Federated Farmers president Katie Milne is making a bid to head up…\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":4477,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"Katie Milne is one of three candidates bidding to be the World Farmers\u2019 Organisation\u2019s president.","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[28,56,63],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t