Be afraid
OPINION: Your old mate hears some of the recent uptick in farmer confidence has slipped since the political polls started leading a bit to the left, away from the current coalition of National, Act and NZ First.
Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford says the budget will need to be about reducing spending rather than announcing spending.
He says farmers will welcome that.
“Farmers work hard to balance their books on farm, and we expect to see the Government doing the same,” Langford says.
"Farming businesses are beginning to experience the benefits of lower inflation and interest rates this year. A balanced budget will mean this stability is more likely to continue."
Langford says that while big spending likely isn’t on the cards, one areas where there is a need for a targeted increase in investment is pest management.
“Ballooning numbers of feral deer, pigs and goats – not to mention the spread of wilding pines – continues to have a big economic cost,” he says.
Langford says that currently the Department of Conservation spends approximately $13 million each year on the control of deer, pigs and goats on public conservation land, but these pests cost New Zealand hundreds of millions of dollars in lost food production, export losses and damage on farms.
“Doubling the pest control spend will have a small overall impact on Crown expense but will see exports increase as farmers lose less pasture to pests,” he says.
In the context of total Crown expenditure of $180 billion, a decent boost to pest control budgets wouldn’t be significant but would help short-circuit a compounding problem."
Langford says it would be great to see work on rural mental health also get over the line and receive extra funding.
"Again, this would be a small expenditure increase in the grand scheme of things but with significant positive benefits."
