Tuesday, 17 September 2019 10:13

Little time for farmers — Editorial

Written by  Staff Reporters

OPINION: It's clear that the Ministry for Environment is underestimating the importance of properly consulting farmers on the Essential Freshwater proposals.

A total of 38 meetings will take place in the coming weeks: 17 public meetings in towns and cities, 16 for Māori and a miserly five tailored for the primary sector.

No wonder farmer leaders and politicians are unhappy.

National’s new agriculture spokesman Todd Muller correctly states that the freshwater proposals will materially impact rural NZ.

“Consultation of just six weeks with only five farming focused meetings, no economic analysis and arrogantly dismissing any criticism. This Government doesn’t get farming, doesn’t understand the stress that its actions brings,” Muller said in a tweet.

Unsurprisingly, the meetings are well attended, in fact so well attended that venues have been overflowing.

This prompted a request from Federated Farmers: “asking nicely -- please can the Government immediately extend the timeframe of the Essential Freshwater consultation so we can find a pathway forward that provides for the health of the water, the health of people and the health of communities?”

“It’s bloody hard on farmers to be facing such challenges and change and not feel they can have some input,” said Federated Farmers president Katie Milne.

Milne says farmers are not stalling for time.

The Essential Freshwater proposals could have huge financial consequences for farmers.

The consultation document talks about extra costs facing farmers: $600 million over 10 years for extra fencing and $3500 for each farm plan. 

A Local Government NZ report questions the Government’s economic assessment and predicts that the economic consequences for regional economies will be huge.

The LGNZ modelling estimates that in the Waikato-Waipa catchment alone such a land use change would incur annual costs of $100 million or 11% loss of total profits. This does not take into account the 25 years it would take for increased forestry income to begin arriving.

Farmers need more time and they must be allowed it, so as to properly understand the proposals and put their views to the Government.

The token consultation we now see in this Essential Freshwater round simply confirms that this Government has little time for farmers.

More like this

Dead in the water

OPINION: In a victory for common sense over virtue signalling, David Parker's National Policy Statement (NPS) work on freshwater is now dead in the water.

Standing up for rural people

Primary production select committee chair and ACT MP Mark Cameron recently contributed to the Resource Management (Freshwater and Other Matters) Amendment Bill - Second Reading in Parliament. Here are excerpts from his speech:

Featured

Dr Mike Joy says sorry, escapes censure

Academic Dr Mike Joy and his employer, Victoria University of Wellington have apologised for his comments suggesting that dairy industry CEOs should be hanged for contributing towards nitrate poisoning of waterways.

People-first philosophy pays off

The team meeting at the Culverden Hotel was relaxed and open, despite being in the middle of calving when stress levels are at peak levels, especially in bitterly cold and wet conditions like today.

Farmer anger over Joy's social media post

A comment by outspoken academic Dr Mike Joy suggesting that dairy industry leaders should be hanged for nitrate contamination of drinking/groundwater has enraged farmers.

From Nelson to Dairy Research: Amy Toughey’s Journey

Driven by a lifelong passion for animals, Amy Toughey's journey from juggling three jobs with full-time study to working on cutting-edge dairy research trials shows what happens when hard work meets opportunity - and she's only just getting started.

National

Machinery & Products

JDLink Boost for NZ farms

Connectivity is widely recognised as one of the biggest challenges facing farmers, but it is now being overcome through the…

New generation Defender HD11

The all-new 2026 Can-Am Defender HD11 looks likely to raise the bar in the highly competitive side-by-side category.

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Buttery prize

OPINION: Westland Milk may have won the contract to supply butter to Costco NZ but Open Country Dairy is having…

Gene Bill rumours

OPINION: The Gene Technology Bill has divided the farming community with strong arguments on both the pros and cons of…

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter