Building trust
OPINION: The war of words between Southland farmers and Environment Southland over winter grazing inspections reflects a deep lack of trust among farmers for the regional council.
Not content with slapping extra costs on the country’s farmers in the form of an ETS tax, impossible targets to cut methane and impending charges to improve water quality, the Government now wants more.
These politcians want to bang an extra tax on the humble farm ute so they can subsidise the cost that wealthy, smug, urban flexitarians incur for their new electric cars.
Your old mate reckons Fed Farmers’ Andrew Hoggard summed it up nicely: “Taxes don’t cut it and farmers need practical solutions to live in a zero-carbon world.”
Hoggard also perfectly summarised the total impracticality of the Government’s EV policy in saying: “An EV may be ok to go to town for the groceries, but a Nissan Leaf isn’t ideally suited to towing a silage wagon or to cart a load of fenceposts around the farm.”
'Common sense' cuts to government red tape will make it easier for New Zealand to deliver safe food to more markets.
Balclutha farmer Renae Martin remembers the moment she fell in love with cows.
Academic freedom is a privilege and it's put at risk when people abuse it.
All eyes are on milk production in New Zealand and its impact on global dairy prices in the coming months.
Claims that some Southland farmers were invoiced up to $4000 for winter grazing compliance checks despite not breaching rules are being rejected by Environment Southland.
According to the most recent Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey, farmer confidence has inched higher, reaching its second highest reading in the last decade.
OPINION: For years, the ironically named Dr Mike Joy has used his position at Victoria University to wage an activist-style…
OPINION: A mate of yours truly has had an absolute gutsful of the activist group SAFE.