fbpx
Print this page
Tuesday, 16 April 2019 10:33

Farmers voice their frustrations

Written by  Nigel Malthus
MPI’s director of response Geoff Gwyn. MPI’s director of response Geoff Gwyn.

Tax implications for farmers receiving big Mycoplasma bovis compensation payments is one of the issues farmers are raising in meetings now underway NZ-wide.

The MPI-organised meetings include public and closed-door, day-long sessions with affected farmers, described by one MPI staffer as “robust”.

Speaking to Rural News after the farmers’ session in Ashburton, MPI’s director of response Geoff Gwyn acknowledged some anger from the affected farmers but said it was a “mixed bag”.

“Some farmers are standing up and saying this has been the worst experience of their life and they have real examples of it not having worked well for them,” he conceded. 

“Then there’ve been other farmers who say ‘actually this was difficult at the time, but it went quite smoothly for me’.”

Gwyn says one issue not previously considered in any detail was the tax implications for farmers getting compensation. He says MPI’s advice had always been to talk to Inland Revenue. “Farmers are more interested in some sort of formal position by Inland Revenue so I’ll be talking to my IRD colleagues about what we can do in that space.”

Gwyn says their aim in the meetings is to listen to farmers to understand how the experience is affecting them and make the process as easy as possible. 

“We receive feedback from the farmers on how this process can be better and we make changes to reflect that. [It may be] how we better support them in welfare and recovery, or how we give them more certainty on testing timeframes, which is difficult,” he told Rural News.

Gwyn told the meeting that everyone involved in the decision to go for eradication knew it was “a bit of a punt”, but it was the only chance the country had.

More like this

Editorial: M. bovis is back

OPINION: News of the discovery of a new case of Mycoplasma bovis on a dairy farm in Canterbury should not come as a surprise.

MPI probing source of latest incursion

Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) staff have ramped up testing procedures and investigations in an effort to determine how a dairy herd in the Selwyn district of Canterbury contracted Mycoplasma bovis.

Featured

Woolworks scour reopens after $50m rebuild

The world’s largest wool processing facility, badly damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle over one year ago, has re-opened following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project.

National

Still a slow boat to China!

Hopes of NZ sheepmeat prices picking up anytime soon in the country's key export market of China looks highly unlikely.

Meat wellness, well done

Newly published research shows overseas consumers have a strong interest in improving their wellbeing through eating red meat, highlighting opportunities…

Machinery & Products

PM opens new Power Farming facility

Morrinsville based Power Farming Group has launched a flagship New Zealand facility in partnership with global construction manufacturer JCB Construction.

AGTEK and ARGO part ways

After 12 years of representing the Landini and McCormick brands in New Zealand, Bay of Plenty-based AGTEK and the brands’…

100 years of Farmall Tractors

Returning after an enforced break, the Wheat and Wheels Rally will take place on the Lauriston -Barhill Road, North-East of…