22nd June 2026 // Rural News in partnership with Farmlands

NZ watching closely after bird flu detected in Australia a2 Milk secures China approval for Pokeno facility products T&G's Maddi Sheridan wins Hawke's Bay Young Fruitgrower title Rural News is in partnership with Farmlands as part of CountryWide CONNECT with Andy Thompson & Sarah Perriam-Lampp - our daily rural show livestreamed from 11am-1pm. Visit country-wide.co.nz on how to watch / listen.   NZ watching closely after bird flu detected in Australia New Zealand is monitoring the situation closely after Australian authorities confirmed H5N1 bird flu in a migratory seabird in Western Australia, with Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard saying the country is well prepared but everyone needs to take steps now. Initial tests on a sick giant petrel found in the same area also suggest infection, though Australian authorities report no mass mortalities or poultry infections so far. Hoggard says New Zealand's geographic isolation has bought time to prepare, but if the virus arrives it's likely to spread among wild birds and won't be eradicable. Farmers and bird owners are urged to watch for signs of illness, prevent contact between their birds and wild birds, and maintain good biosecurity hygiene. Anyone finding three or more sick or dead wild birds together should report it to the exotic pest and disease hotline on 0800 80 99 66, without handling or moving them. There is no food safety risk, and the risk to human health is assessed as low.   a2 Milk secures China approval for Pokeno facility products The a2 Milk Company has received Chinese regulatory approval to transition infant formula product registrations linked to its Pokeno facility to the a2 brand — clearing the final hurdle in its acquisition of the facility. With approval now secured from China's State Administration for Market Regulation, a2 Milk no longer has the right to unwind the Pokeno acquisition. New products are expected to launch later this year, with no change to the timing or financial benefits outlined when the acquisition was first announced. Chief executive David Bortolussi says the approval marks a significant milestone in the company's China growth strategy, supporting long-term market access, accelerating advanced nutritional manufacturing capability, and capturing stronger financial returns. The board is expected to convene soon to declare a three-hundred million dollar special dividend, fully franked and unimputed, with further details on timing to be confirmed.   T&G's Maddi Sheridan wins Hawke's Bay Young Fruitgrower title T&G Global quality and compliance manager Maddi Sheridan has won the Hawke's Bay 2026 Young Fruitgrower title and will now represent the region at the national Young Grower of the Year competition in Cromwell on August twenty-seventh and twenty-eighth. Sheridan switched from an agri commerce degree to horticultural science at Massey University after a T&G scholarship led to summer work, and now oversees technical work across T&G's six-hundred hectares of Hawke's Bay orchards. Runner-up was fellow T&G employee Joseph Stenberg, with third place shared between Saffron Riley from Mr Apples and William Horsefield from Ceed in Waipawa.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.