She says they don't know what the outcome of the election will bring or how a change of government might impact their lives and farming operations.
Brown says DairyNZ has always worked well with whichever government is elected.
Her comments come at a time when the polls and even the most clued-up political junkies struggle to pick which combination of political parties may take the treasury benches in the November election.
So that no political party is in doubt about what DairyNZ and their members want, they have prepared a simple, easy-to-read booklet outlining very clearly what they want from an incoming government. The six key priorities they would like enacted are:
- Getting resource management and freshwater systems right
- Building and funding a strong biosecurity system
- Strengthening the dairy workforce
- Boosting science funding and accelerating technology uptake
- Promoting low emissions technology and investing in rural infrastructure
- Backing strong animal welfare rules
The document provides a graphic snapshot of the contribution the dairy sector makes to the NZ economy, including the value of dairy exports, the number of people employed in the sector and the fact that the total wages bill for the sector is $4 billion.
Brown says while dairy farmers understand that change is a constant, they are also looking for certainty and need policy that rewards investment and encourages innovation.
She says future success won't come from just producing more - it will come from producing more value.
"The next government has an opportunity to build on the progress farmers have already made. Getting policy settings right now will provide confidence to invest, to adopt new technology and continue creating value for NZ. Delaying action risks slowing that progress," she says.
Brown says dairy farmers have spent years investing in environmental improvements, animal welfare, better infrastructure, planting, effluent systems, genetics and more resilient farm systems.
"Farmers need government to be a durable and practical partner providing policy that gives them confidence in invest, encourage development and recognises dairy's critical contribution to NZ," she says.
