Meat board elections soon

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 13, Issue 624, 20 February 1996, Page 10

Meat board elections soon

The Meat Board is currently compil ing lists of eligible voters for each ward in the upcoming elections, with registrations closing on 27 February, voting papers sent on 24 March and voting closing 24 April. If you are in business as a sheep or goat farmer and own 250 or more head of sheep or goats, or if you are in business as a beef farmer and own 50 or more head of beef cattle, then you are eligible to vote in the elections. Meat producers in the Ruapehu district fall into the Western North Island Ward which extends as far north as the Ruapehu District and south as far as

Wellington. ' Taihape farmer Andy Guy is standing as a candidate for the Western North Island Ward and is keen to see many farmers register so that their votes will count in the upcoming elections. All farmers producing meat pay a compulsory levy which is used to fund the Meat Board' s activities. This makes every meat pro.ducer a shareholder in the NZ Meat Producer' s Board and Andy Guy feels it is very important that producers get involved and register. Every time a farmer gets stock slaughtered a levy is paid of $0.47 per head of lamb or $470 per 1000 lambs. Cow vealers and

other adult cattle incur a levy of $4.20 per head or $420 per 100 cattle killed. Under new legislation, namely thePrivacy Act, this information which is collected by the meat compa-

nies is regarded as confidential and the Meat Board is unable to compile a list of levy payers based on this information. Registration forms can be obtained from: The Return-

ing Officer, NZ Meat Pr( ducers Board, PO Box 12 Wellington. There is als an election hotline, 080( 109-150. Andy Guy is als available, phone 06-381 0379.