Tuesday, 15 August 2017 07:55

Labour's blank invoices suck – Guy

Written by  Sudesh Kissun
Nathan Guy. Nathan Guy.

The Labour Party has sent “blank invoices” to farmers around the country, says Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy.

The invoices don’t have “any details about the price,” he says.

“There is something different about this invoice compared to an invoice a hard working farmer receives after buying feed, a new tractor or repairing his irrigation system.

“The farmers have received the bill but they don’t know how much it will cost them,” he told Dairy News.

Guy says the proposal to charge a royalty for irrigated water on farms is a ludicrous policy.

He is urging farming leaders to meet Labour’s new leader Jacinda Ardern over the next two weeks and seek more detail on the proposal.

“Labour must be upfront with the farming community rather than hiding until after the election.”

Guy says Labour is also proposing large setbacks for riparian planting on farms.

Dairy farmers have already planted 27,000km of fences along waterways, fencing off 97% of them.

Guy says pushing back riparian planting would result in loss of productive land and impose further costs like mechanical cleaning of waterways with diggers, which most farmers do once a year.

“Labour wants all the posts and wires ripped out and pushed back; is it one metre or four metres further out?”

He told Parliament that Labour’s proposed water policy sucks. “It is badly thought out, badly implemented and damages the most productive sector of our economy -- the primary industries.

“Labour has slammed the door shut on the primary sector. Damian O’Connor (Labour’s rural spokesman) got smashed to pieces… he got smashed by a caucus more excited by the urban vote than the rural vote.

More like this

Editorial: Agri's mojo is back

OPINION: Good times are coming back for the primary industries. From sentiment expressed at Fieldays to the latest rural confidence survey results, all indicate farmer confidence at a near-record high.

Sorry, not sorry

OPINION: Did former PM Jacinda Ardern get fawning reviews for her book?

Featured

Horticulture exports hit $8.4B, surge toward $10B by 2029

A brilliant result and great news for growers and regional economies. That's how horticulture sector leaders are describing the news that sector exports for the year ended June 30 will reach $8.4 billion - an increase of 19% on last year and is forecast to hit close to $10 billion in 2029.

National

Machinery & Products

Farming smarter with technology

The National Fieldays is an annual fixture in the farming calendar: it draws in thousands of farmers, contractors, and industry…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

110,000 visitors!

OPINION: It's official, Fieldays 2025 clocked 110,000 visitors over the four days.

Sticky situation

OPINION: The Federated Farmers rural advocacy hub at Fieldays has been touted as a great success.

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter