increase font size
William Rolleston
Federated Farmers is looking at changing its subscription structure to better reflect the changing nature of farm land ownership.
National president William Rolleston says people owning multiple farms and corporate farming has reduced the lobby’s membership numbers. He says Feds is looking at finding a subscription structure that is fair and equitable to all.
“If one person has a number of farms it doesn’t seem reasonable that they pay a single farm subscription when someone has, say, just one 400ha property and is paying the same,” he told Rural News.
“We have to package it in a way that the members feel is equitable and they all feel they are getting value. If you own five farms you are getting five times the value from Federated Farmers as opposed to having one – the value is spread across all of those farms.”
Rolleston says the Federation has some farmers now paying on a per farm basis and believes this could be way to go. He doesn’t believe the farmer lobby will go the same way as the dairy sector, which levies members on their production. He says a subscription based on a ‘per farm’ basis is likely, but adds there are anomalies with a person with 5000 stock units paying the same as someone with 30,000 SUs.
In the past, the Federation has focused on the number of members it has and Rolleston says such a concept in today’s farming environment is “a bit silly”. He says the Federation has been working with corporate farmers on an arrangement to reflect the benefits they receive from their membership.
The Feds board will consider a proposal for the national council in June. The council comprises all the provincial presidents and the board. They have the final say on policy issues.
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.
A verbal stoush has broken out between Federated Farmers and a new group that claims to be fighting against cheaper imports that undermine NZ farmers.
Taupiri farmer Chris Woolerton is tipped to take over as Federated Farmers Waikato president from next week.
Farmers want more direct, accurate information about both fuel and fertiliser supply.
Federated Farmers is celebrating following the Government's announcement that young farmers will be able to use their KiwiSaver funds to buy their first home or farm.
Southland District Council says it is actively managing the impacts of the current fuel supply challenges to ensure essential services across the district continue to operate safely and reliably.
A large crowd turned out for the last of the field days of the three finalists in this years Ahuwhenua Trophy to determine the top Maori horticulture entity in Aotearoa New Zealand
National's decision to ‘dribble’ information about the NZ/India to Labour contributed to the delay in it deciding to supported the FTA.
A Hawke's Bay farmer has been sentenced to seven-and-a-half-months' home detention and disqualified from being in charge of or owning sheep and cattle for 12 months for serious animal welfare offending.
With mounting pressure on Australian farmers, driven by the increasingly fluid global uncertainty, the organisers of 'FutureAg powered by Agritechnica' have postponed the Melbourne event.
Tickets have officially gone on sale for Fieldays 2026, marking less than 50 days until the event.
