Federated Farmers: Rural Voices Must Shape Reform
Certainty and a clear understanding of the needs of rural communities is a critical outcome in the series of government reforms that are taking place at present.
Cashflow is tight and in the immediate future it doesn't look like there is going to be any dramatic improvement on that front.
When I chat with our sheep and beef neighbours the conversation seems to follow a similar theme. Farming profitably and sustainably is proving more and more challenging and Taranaki farmer morale isn't high.
The flipside is we live in a great farming region with many good things going for us that other regions are challenged by.
We are naturally green most of the year and we don't have to turn on machines to make it rain, although it would be handy now and then.
We have high calibre farmer business owners and management and supportive organisations and businesses all striving for the same thing – a successful, sustainable business in this great province.
Taranaki literally is still the land of milk and honey, with a 60% lift in apiculture in the last four years.
Tasty beef, lamb, pork and chicken are also grown here. So why is it if I go shopping for locally grown produce, I struggle to find the Taranaki origin brand on our food.
We are literally transporting our entire raw product out of the province by tanker, truck, container and barrel. Someone else clips the ticket and gets rich off our hard work.
We don't even have abattoir facilities to process local meat to serve up in our fantastic provincial restaurants, but you can get a good rack of Hawkes Bay lamb.
Recently I addressed Food Futures Taranaki 2016 on behalf of Taranaki Federated Farmers and Taranaki primary producers.
Massey University, Food HQ, and Venture Taranaki hosted a well-organised event with some excellent, inspiring speakers. They included Massey University vice-chancellor Steve Maharey, Massey University director of business engagement and establisher of Food HQ Mark Ward and Maori trustee and Te Tumu Paeroa chief executive Jamie Tuuta, research students and farm business owners.
It's a shame more local farmers didn't hear these leaders speak.
Everyone attending the Food Futures event saw the opportunity to work together as a province and look at how we could do Taranaki Food Inc better.
Yes, it needs investment, infrastructure, scale and commitment. As ever, I am an optimist and I know with the right heads around the table it can be done.
• Bronwyn Muir is Federated Farmers Taranaki provincial president.
