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OPINION: Farmer lobby Groundswell is mobilising farmers against the requirement to have freshwater farm plans.
Groundswell NZ predicts the Government's new Freshwater Farm Plans will cost $10,000 to implement on each farm, and says they are "just another unworkable regulation bought in by this Government".
It has started holding farmer meetings. The lobby wants freshwater farm plans to be addressed by catchment groups rather than individual farmers.
A new requirement for farms over a certain size to have a freshwater farm plan has come into effect from August 1 in parts of the Waikato and Southland, with other regions to follow over the next two years.
In the Waikato region, the requirement is being phased in by catchment, starting with the Waipā to align as best as possible with the pending implementation of Proposed Plan Change 1.
Once the regulations are activated in their catchment, farm operators will have 18 months to development and submit their first freshwater farm plan for certification.
OPINION: Bouquets this week from the old mutt for Fed Farmers and Groundswell for continuing to resist the proposed Gore District plan and its intention to apply costly "cultural values" across the district and a raft of land classifications that are unworkable and counterproductive.
Three farmer lobby groups are applying the blowtorch to political parties on key issues facing the primary sector ahead of the general elections.
OPINION: Many sheep and beef farmers will be worse off under the new environment legislation than they were under the Resource Management Act (RMA), claims Beef+Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) in an email to levy payers.
OPINION: With Freshwater Farm Plan (FWFP) regulations imminent, growers need practical, funded support now – not just more paperwork.
A drop in methane targets announced by the Government this month has pleased farmers but there are concerns that without cross-party support, the targets would change once a Labour-led Government is voted into office.
OPINION: Political parties in New Zealand have a long history of supporting free trade agreements together.
New Zealand's high country farmers could soon gain greater flexibility to diversify their land use as the new Crown Land Legislation Amendment Bill is introduced to Parliament.
New Zealand farming history needs to be celebrated, says the New Zealand Century Farm and Station Awards (NZCFSA) national coordinator, Anne Barnett.
Great weather, a large turnout and positive feedback.
Bark and ambrosia beetles could play an unexpected role in New Zealand's ecosystem, acting as tiny taxis for fungi.
New Zealand’s reliance on imported urea could soon be a thing of the past.
