B+LNZ calls for government action as sheep and beef farm sales to forestry climb
Red meat farmers are urging the Government to act on the growing number of whole sheep and beef farm sales for conversion to forestry, particularly carbon farming.
Last issue we asked Rural News readers whether they supported the Groundswell NZ protests on Friday 16 July.
An overwhelming number of readers - 90.5% - said they supported the protests.
Many repeated a similar sentiment - that the Government was placing "unworkable" regulations on farmers. One respondent said the protest represented "the first time it felt like someone was standing up for us. It showed what unity there is." Others said they protested because they felt farmer organisations are not supporting farmers. Only 9.5% of readers surveyed said they didn't support the protest.
This week's poll follows a recent report, which says 77,780ha of productive beef and sheep farmland has been sold into forestry since 2017, that Beef + Lamb NZ estimates will reduce stock units by up to 700,000.
We ask:
Head to https://bit.ly/2Vw3q4h to have your say.
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