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Hugh Gardyne, chair of the Mataura Catchment Liaison Committee says farmers simply can’t afford the proposed rate hikes.
A Southland farming leader wants the regional council to delay a proposed regional rates hike, much of which is intended to fund flood protection works.
Under its proposed Long-Term Plan (LTP), Environment Southland (ES) envisages about a 23% increase in regional rates, but Hugh Gardyne, chair of the Mataura Catchment Liaison Committee (MCLC), says farmers simply can't afford it.
"From a farmer and a ratepayer's perspective, at the present time, the things that we can't control are interest rates, insurance, and rates.
"But be under no misunderstanding. Farmers are desperate to cut costs down, to hopefully achieve a cash surplus for the year. It's very difficult," Gardyne told Rural News.
The council's figures show the rate increase is made up of 9% for flood infrastructure, 5% for flood infrastructure investment and 9% for council services.
Gardyne says farmers would stomach the inflation part of the rates - about 4.5% - but much of it was down to the proposed flood protection measures.
"It's that portion that I'm saying, 'look have a spell, consult a bit wider, get people to understand more what's happening'."
ES says ongoing and greater investment in flood protection is a key proposal of the LTP. A proposed new Flood Protection Infrastructure Rate, based on property capital value, would replace 140 existing catchment rates.
Gardyne said the flood risk from climate change was over-hyped.
"It's coming out of places like NIWA, it's coming out of the National Policy Statements and whatnot.
"People need to just get a grip because we can only afford what we can afford," he said.
However, ES chair Nicol Horrell says the council had to consider recent big events such as Cyclone Gabrielle and past Southland floods.
He said he could not comment on the LTP in detail while the consultation was underway but there had been a good crowd at a public meeting in Invercargill on April 29 and he implored people to make a submission.
Claims that some Southland farmers were invoiced up to $4000 for winter grazing compliance checks despite not breaching rules are being rejected by Environment Southland.
Environment Southland's catchment improvement funding is once again available for innovative landowners in need of a boost to get their project going.
Federated Farmers says it welcomes a recent court decision which granted a stay on rules in the Southland Water and Land Plan until legislative changes can be made by government.
Environment Southland says it has now ring-fenced $375,000 for new funding initiatives, aimed at enhancing water quality.
Southland Farmers will be breathing a sigh of relief that central Government is stepping in to stop Environment Southland from introducing unworkable and expensive new farming rules.
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