increase font size
Federated Farmers environment and water spokesman Chris Allen.
Farmers must stay active and engaged with the submission process, says Federated Farmers environment and water spokesman Chris Allen.
Just over four weeks remain before submissions close on October 17 at 5pm. The Feds have protested the short consultation period given it is the busiest time on farm.
But Allen says farmers must stay engaged. There will be a raft of techniques through which they can give submissions, whether individually, through templates or their industry-good bodies.
“There’s a lot of stress in the environment. There are some pretty concerned farmers out there.”
Federated Farmers, Beef + Lamb NZ, DairyNZ and others in the primary sector will be looking at the effects of these proposals.
“We want the farmers to come out and support or challenge us if necessary so we have the best submissions we can possibly have -- the most robust.
“We need the personal stories. What are the effects of the new rules on farms, communities, local schools and sports clubs? It is really important that farmers get behind this with a united voice and say what is right and appropriate.
“We are on a journey. We are going there but is it achievable if the limits are put in the wrong place?”
He has never had so many farmers say on any issue “we are up for all this stuff, we want to do the right thing, but the goalposts have to be somewhere we can see, not over the horizon”.
Allen says farmers need to know the economic implications. “The audience at the Ashburton meeting was scathing that the Government hadn’t even bothered to do any robust economic analysis of the implications.”
Allen thought the Ashburton MfE briefing was “undercooked”.
“They didn’t have any detail for farmers. We wanted to hear it from the horse’s mouth, the MfE officials, about what it really means.
“They brought up a few points then they went right into questions. Given that there was not enough information to digest it was hard to have a broader conversation.”
To say there was some concern would be an “absolute understatement”, he says.
“We all know there is stuff coming down the track at us. The Government is saying six weeks is enough time for consultation. There is so much involved in the different topics that to give a coherent response farmers want to be able to understand it. – Pam Tipa
Academic Dr Mike Joy and his employer, Victoria University of Wellington have apologised for his comments suggesting that dairy industry CEOs should be hanged for contributing towards nitrate poisoning of waterways.
A comment by outspoken academic Dr Mike Joy suggesting that dairy industry leaders should be hanged for nitrate contamination of drinking/groundwater has enraged farmers.
Federated Farmers says the final report into banking competition is a significant step forward for rural New Zealand - and a vindication of the farming sector's concern.
Farmer lobby group Federated Farmers has announced it is supporting a new Member’s Bill which it says could bring clarity to New Zealand farmers and save millions in legal costs.
Federated Farmers says climate protest group Greenpeace is manufacturing outrage and attempting to scare New Zealanders with headlines that have no basis in science.
Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.
OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.
DairyNZ says its plantain programme continues to deliver promising results, with new data confirming that modest levels of plantain in pastures reduce nitrogen leaching, offering farmers a practical, science-backed tool to meet environmental goals.
'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.
OPINION: Should cows in NZ be microchipped?
OPINION: Legislation being drafted to bring back the controversial trade of live animal exports by sea is getting stuck in the…
