ORC piling more regulation on farmers - Feds
Federated Farmers claims that the Otago Regional Council is charging ahead unnecessarily with piling more regulation on rural communities.
Feed will be the biggest issue in the coming months for farmers in Tasman region, says Federated Farmers Top of the South dairy chair Brian Dineen.
He says the Nelson fires have tainted pasture, making them unpalatable for stock.
Many other parts of Tasman district have suffered dry weather and grass growth has been minimal.
“Feed is the biggest issue going forward, thanks to the fires and the recent dry weather,” Dineen told Rural News.
“The good thing is that we can cope with this challenge; other parts of the country have had good rain and there’s a good amount of feed sitting around.”
Federated Farmers is coordinating feed supply through its Nelson administrator Jan Gillanders and Golden Bay provincial president Wayne Langford.
Dineen says he’s amazed by the generosity of farmers NZ-wide. Feed is now arriving in Tasman.
“The beauty of Feds and the farming community is that there are a lot of farmers willing to help out.”
The fires have affected one dairy farmer, lifestyle block owners and several sheep and beef and deer farmers.
Dairy farmer Michael Shearer, who milks 400 cows near Nelson, had flames reach the outskirts of his 160ha farm.
Dineen says a neighbouring hops grower who had recently converted a dairy farm has opened his milking parlour for Shearer to continue milking cows.
“He is very lucky; I think he may have lost only one day of milking,” says Dineen.
Dineen, who has visited Shearer, says the outpouring of support for Shearer and other farmers has been amazing.
He says many animals from affected farms are being looked after by volunteers at the Nelson showground.
The prolonged dry weather has also triggered more water restrictions.
“This is a challenging time for farmers, the horticulture and wine industries in the region and, of course, for the whole community affected by wildfire and drought,” says David Lindsay, MPI regional controller.
“We are working closely with Tasman District Council, Rural Support Trust and other agencies to ensure rural communities are supported as the drought bites and we move into the second week of the fire.”
A medium-scale adverse event (fire and drought) was recently declared for Tasman district, unlocking Government support for farmers and growers.
“We are monitoring the situation carefully and are working with other agencies as the situation develops,” Lindsay said.
Analysis by Dunedin-based Techion New Zealand shows the cost of undetected drench resistance in sheep has exploded to an estimated $98 million a year.
Shipping disruption caused by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea has so far not impacted fertiliser prices or supply on farm.
The opportunity to spend more time on farm while providing a dedicated service for shareholders attracted new environmental manager Ben Howden to work for Waimakariri Irrigation Limited (WIL).
Federated Farmers claims that the Otago Regional Council is charging ahead unnecessarily with piling more regulation on rural communities.
Dairy sheep and goat farmers are being told to reduce milk supply as processors face a slump in global demand for their products.
OPINION: We have good friends from way back who had lived in one of our major cities for many years.