Thursday, 28 April 2022 11:25

Wood for trees?

Written by The Hound

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OPINION: There is huge concern in rural communities around NZ about good sheep and beef farmland being bought by - mainly overseas-owned - carbon farming concerns.

Blame for this disaster can be fairly and squarely sheeted home to the current Government.

It has allowed an anomaly in law that bans overseas owners from buying land in this country for farming purposes, but at the same time allows foreignt investors to buy swathes of farmland to be planted in pine forests that will never be harvested and be used to offset their carbon emissions.

You can't blame farmers for selling their farms and taking the highest price, which inevitably is coming from carbon forest investors.

However, this is not just limited to Joe-average farmers.

The Hound understands a high profile farmer - with a number of directorships in farming companies recently sold out to carbon interests.

If industry leaders are are doing this, what chance for the rest of us?

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