It is also demanding an urgent review of the cumulative financial and social impacts of the Government’s environmental agenda on farmers and rural communities.
B+LNZ chief executive Sam McIvor says farmers are feeling overwhelmed by the tsunami of environmental and other regulations that have been rushed through in the last few years.
“Many are mentally exhausted – there’s just been no understanding from the Government or appreciation of the damage done by the scale and pace of change.”
McIvor says many of the rules in areas such as freshwater and climate change have been poorly thought through and the economic impacts of the changes are far more than what is needed to achieve the desired environmental outcomes.
“The NPS for Indigenous Biodiversity is another case in point. Leading biodiversity experts like Professor David Norton agree with B+LNZ that the definition of a Significant Natural Area is much broader than it needs to be and will tie up productive land in red tape and compliance and not achieve positive biodiversity outcomes.”
McIvor says the Government needs to stop and take stock of what it is trying to achieve and adjust its reform agenda to ensure the economy successfully recovers from COVID-19. “The Government needs to stop, listen to feedback and fundamentally change key policies before it’s too late.”
