Agriculture - along with energy, food, pharma et al -is a mafia. Unless you're on the inside that is. Then it's "fair play" for all. I'm saddened by the ignorance of some of New Zealand's primarily industry leaders - especially Fonterra - around the threat disruption tech is having conventional food and ag. As they clasp at thin straws to retain their dominance in a rapidly evolving global food chain.
This article by a leader in one of New Zealand's conventional ag sector is one of the best yet examples of denial I have seen in the NZ community.
We can deny all we like. Make excuses till the cows come home around how food and living things that go into out mouths will never be disrupted. But I personally don't think the growing generations to come - especially in developing countries - will demand, nor even care if their protein is grass fed from New Zealand. Especially if the technology coming to pass is providing imminently more ethical, sustainable and edible versions of what most of the world already eats. If we continue to ignore the global threat of exponentially accelerating technological and science, and a rising population base that simply can not be fed using today's nasty existing model, becoming the Detroit of Agriculture may be upon us more quickly than we think.