increase font size
Toby Williams, Federated Farmers, believes the key thing is holding the Government to account.
Buoyed by a survey showing farmer confidence rising to its highest level in over a decade, Federated Farmers says it's not taking its foot off the pedal.
The farmer lobby says its biggest role is keeping the Government honest.
The Federated Farmers January survey shows farmers' confidence in current general economic conditions has surged from a deeply negative 66% in July 2024 to a net positive score of 2%. This marks the largest one-off improvement since the question was introduced in 2016.
The survey shows falling interest rates, rising incomes and more favourable farming rules have all played a major role in that improvement.
Federated Farmers meat and wool chair Toby Williams told Rural News that to see farmer confidence bounce back from record lows to its highest point in over a decade is a phenomenal result.
"It was the largest one-off lift in farmer confidence we've seen to date, and I think it's important that we celebrate that. We were coming off a pretty low base. Yes, farmer confidence is now in positive territory, but there's still a lot of room for improvement."
Williams believes the key thing is holding the Government to account.
"During the election, a lot of promises were made to our farmers and rural communities, and we need to make sure they deliver on those - because people are depending on it.
"There's no denying the Government have done a lot for farmers so far, and that's certainly appreciated, but there's still a lot more that needs to be done.
"I think we've shown that we can work with the Government to get stuff done, but when they make a stuff up, we're not afraid to call them out for that and apply a bit of pressure.
"That's exactly what we've seen over the last few weeks with the announcement of these new international emission reduction targets that are just going to lead to more pine trees in rural communities."
Williams says they are going to have a lot more to say about the Government's climate policies in the coming weeks and months.
"So, watch this space. New Zealand needs sensible and achievable climate policy, not a hope and pray approach that will just see hundreds of thousands of hectares planted in pine trees.
"This is a huge issue for our meat and wool members in particular."
Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford says they will keep pushing hard to cut costs out of farmers' businesses and reduce some of that regulatory burden.
The survey results show regulation and compliance costs remain the greatest concerns for farmers, followed by interest rates and banks, and input costs.
"When it comes to farmer confidence, a lot of it comes down to what's coming into our bank account, and what's going out the other side. It's a simple equation," Langford says.
"A lot of that is market driven, and farmers are used to riding those highs and lows, but government rules and regulations have a significant impact on farmers' costs."
Federated Farmers North Canterbury president Bex Green says two public meetings held this week should have made it loud and clear that rural families and businesses are concerned about proposed staffing changes at NZ Police.
OPINION: The Government has been seeking industry feedback on its proposed amendments to a range of Resource Management Act (RMA) national direction instruments.
Federated Farmers is renewing its call for Greenpeace to be stripped of its charitable status immediately, following the activist group's latest publicity stunt.
Farmers are welcoming new Government proposals to make farm health and safety rules more practical and grounded in real-world farming.
There's been widespread support from the primary sector for the Government's move to put the brakes on local authorities to do any more work on planning changes ahead of major changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA).
New Zealand's red meat processing and exporting sector has welcomed the government's announcement of new work visas.
Fresh produce grower and exporter T&G Global has overturned last year’s dismal performance by reporting a half year net profit of $1.7 million.
One of New Zealand’s largest fertiliser plants could be forced to shut down for four months as uncertainty looms over gas supply.
Federated Farmers North Canterbury president Bex Green says two public meetings held this week should have made it loud and clear that rural families and businesses are concerned about proposed staffing changes at NZ Police.
The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) is consulting on a proposal to ban weedkillers containing chlorthal-dimethyl (DCPA).
August 6 marks Farm Worker Appreciation Day, a moment to recognise the dedication and hard mahi of dairy farm workers across Aotearoa - and DairyNZ is taking the opportunity to celebrate the skilled teams working on its two research farms.
OPINION: Your old mate's ear has been chewed off recently by farmers voicing their displeasure with the National Party, particularly…
OPINION: Your old mate hears that at a recent China Business Summit, PM Christopher Luxon delivered a none-too-subtle "could try…
