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Jamie McFadden, Groundswell, claims both government and farming advocacy groups aren’t honest about RMA reforms.
OPINION: A founding principle of Groundswell NZ is that farmers, and people generally, should be provided with full and accurate information about regulations that directly affect them.
What is particularly disappointing about the RMA reforms is the lack of honesty from our representatives in both government and farming advocacy organisations about these reforms and their implications. That it is our own fellow farmers that promulgate this behaviour is all the more disappointing.
A case in point is the proposal around Freshwater Farm Plans. Behind the PR claims of ‘simpler, cheaper and better’ lies a very different story that leaves farmers misinformed over this legislation.
All the purported benefits provided by our representatives to justify this legislation relate to farmers currently operating under consents. No mention of how the freshwater farm plan legislation impacts the majority of farmers across the country that currently do not require a consent - such as dryland farmers; sheep, beef and deer; hill and high country, organic and regenerative farms. No mention of how these lower environmental impact farmers will lose the benefit of being a permitted activity, free from a system of government oversight - a benefit they have had for the past 35 years under the Resource Management Act.
No mention of how most farmers will be worse off under the Freshwater Farm Plan legislation than they currently are under the RMA. Particularly once other environmental issues such as indigenous biodiversity and emissions are added to these Freshwater Farms Plans as has always been government’s (from both sides) intention.
Our representatives have provided no justification as to why these freshwater farm plans are being rolled out as a top-down government prescribed and controlled system, rather than allowing the industry to continue to lead the roll out of farm environment plans as they have been doing for the past 5 plus years. And no explanation about how the Freshwater Farm Plan legislation opens the door to a new type of totalitarian control that captures all farmers over 50ha into a government oversight system administered by regional councils. Or the perils of handing the whole farming sector on a plate to a new government (if elected) that is not so farmer friendly as the current one.
We are calling on honesty from our farming representatives and advocacy organisations in providing all farmers with a full and accurate explanation of the freshwater farm plan legislation and the RMA reforms generally. The ball is in your court.
• Jamie McFadden is Groundswell NZ environment spokesperson
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