increase font size
William Rolleston
Federated Farmers is looking at changing its subscription structure to better reflect the changing nature of farm land ownership.
National president William Rolleston says people owning multiple farms and corporate farming has reduced the lobby’s membership numbers. He says Feds is looking at finding a subscription structure that is fair and equitable to all.
“If one person has a number of farms it doesn’t seem reasonable that they pay a single farm subscription when someone has, say, just one 400ha property and is paying the same,” he told Rural News.
“We have to package it in a way that the members feel is equitable and they all feel they are getting value. If you own five farms you are getting five times the value from Federated Farmers as opposed to having one – the value is spread across all of those farms.”
Rolleston says the Federation has some farmers now paying on a per farm basis and believes this could be way to go. He doesn’t believe the farmer lobby will go the same way as the dairy sector, which levies members on their production. He says a subscription based on a ‘per farm’ basis is likely, but adds there are anomalies with a person with 5000 stock units paying the same as someone with 30,000 SUs.
In the past, the Federation has focused on the number of members it has and Rolleston says such a concept in today’s farming environment is “a bit silly”. He says the Federation has been working with corporate farmers on an arrangement to reflect the benefits they receive from their membership.
The Feds board will consider a proposal for the national council in June. The council comprises all the provincial presidents and the board. They have the final say on policy issues.
Academic Dr Mike Joy and his employer, Victoria University of Wellington have apologised for his comments suggesting that dairy industry CEOs should be hanged for contributing towards nitrate poisoning of waterways.
A comment by outspoken academic Dr Mike Joy suggesting that dairy industry leaders should be hanged for nitrate contamination of drinking/groundwater has enraged farmers.
Federated Farmers says the final report into banking competition is a significant step forward for rural New Zealand - and a vindication of the farming sector's concern.
Farmer lobby group Federated Farmers has announced it is supporting a new Member’s Bill which it says could bring clarity to New Zealand farmers and save millions in legal costs.
Federated Farmers says climate protest group Greenpeace is manufacturing outrage and attempting to scare New Zealanders with headlines that have no basis in science.
Phoebe Scherer, a technical manager from the Bay of Plenty, has won the 2025 Young Grower of the Year national title.
The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards, providing the opportunity to honour both rising talent and industry stalwarts.
Award-winning boutique cheese company, Cranky Goat Ltd has gone into voluntary liquidation.
As an independent review of the National Pest Management Plan for TB finds the goal of complete eradication by 2055 is still valide, feedback is being sought on how to finish the job.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand has launched an AI-powered digital assistant to help farmers using the B+LNZ Knowledge Hub to create tailored answers and resources for their farming businesses.
A tiny organism from the arid mountains of mainland Greece is facilitating a new way of growing healthier animals on farms across New Zealand.
OPINION: For years, the ironically named Dr Mike Joy has used his position at Victoria University to wage an activist-style…
OPINION: A mate of yours truly has had an absolute gutsful of the activist group SAFE.
