Breakfast talks barred to media

The event that kicks off Fieldays, KPMG’s Agribusiness Agenda breakfast, is closed to the media this year because KPMG says a lot of unexpected things have happened that merit “open” discussion.

Speakers at the breakfast tomorrow include Agriculture and Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones.

Responding to questioning as to why the traditional event was closed to the media, KPMG global head of agribusiness Ian Proudfoot said: “We want to enable our clients and guests at the breakfast to have an open conversation . . . there’s a lot of things happened in the last year.”

Asked what guests would want to talk openly about, Proudfoot said business expectations as to how the year would turn out and the reality had proved quite different.

“Biosecurity, access to labour challenges, environment and new government positioning about how it views climate change and water and the primary sector . . . we expect those issues throughout Fieldays to be pretty close to top of all conversations.”

Proudfoot said in previous years the breakfast had invited media on the understanding discussion would not be reported.

KPMG’s barring of media this year, Fieldays’ 50th, was “partly” in response to guest feedback from last year’s event, he said. Some said they felt constrained from asking questions or making points because the media was present and some had reported on the event, Proudfoot said.

About 120 business leaders attended last year’s breakfast at Mystery Creek, near Hamilton.

KPMG’s annual agribusiness breakfast at the Canterbury A&P Show had always barred the media, he said.

Damien O’Connor’s office said it would make his speech public. Shane Jones’ office said he didn’t have a written speech. Editor-at-large: Liam Dann Agriculture: