Wednesday, 04 March 2020 13:21

Freshwater battle

Written by  Milking It
Freshwater battle

Was agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor warned about the risks posed by the Government’s freshwater proposals?

Opposition Ag spokesman Todd Muller thinks so.

He claims that documents released under the Official Information Act have shown multiple instances where O’Connor “was warned of the considerable social and economic impacts to farmers of the Freshwater proposals, but the Minister has ignored them”.

“Briefings from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) in June 2019 warned the Minister that the proposals could contribute to reduced production for milk and meat processors, an increased burden on the mental health and wellbeing of farmers and lower land values and profitability.”

Expect this issue to be at the forefront of Muller’s election campaign this year!

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"Everybody wants to fight on the economy if they can. But when neither side has a compelling story, the contest shifts to other issues. That's not new. In fact, it's the stuff of politics everywhere, always."

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