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About 100 farmers in the Whanganui area are facing production losses this season of up to $100,000 as a result of the recent floods.
That’s the view of Whanganui Federated Farmers provincial president Brian Doughty, a key man in assessing damage and co-ordinating help. Last week he stayed in Whanganui doing this rather than attending the Feds annual conference.
Doughty says in the worst cases up to 25% of the land has been damaged and many hit badly in the 2004 floods have been hit again.
“The loss of production, plus some re-instatement, is a substantial loss for those farmers,” he told Rural News. “If you take the whole Whanganui area it amounts to over $1 million and probably more like $2.5m if you include the Waitotara Valley area.”
Doughty says some farmers want the event declared ‘major’, which would trigger more cash from the Government. But MPI and Minister Nathan Guy say it is a ‘medium scale’ event and that farmers are resilient and will help each other.
“I told the minister ‘that’s true, but farmers holding hands won’t grow any grass’. I left it at that.”
Doughty says from what he’s heard farmers don’t necessarily want a lot of money, but rather to be recognised for their plight.
According to the latest Federated Farmers banking survey, farmers are more satisfied with their bank and less under pressure, however, the sector is well short of confidence levels seen last decade.
OPINION: Federated Farmers has launched a new campaign, swapping ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ for ‘The Twelve Pests of Christmas’ to highlight the most troublesome farm pests – a serious issue that needs some urgent attention from the Beehive.
Farmers are welcoming the announcement of two new bills to replace the under-fire Resource Management Act.
The Government has announced it will immediately roll over all resource consents for two years, with legislation expected to pass under urgency as early as this week.
Federated Farmers has launched a new campaign, swapping "The Twelve Days of Christmas" for "The Twelve Pests of Christmas" in an effort to highlight the most troublesome farm pests.
According to the latest Federated Farmers banking survey, farmers are more satisfied with their bank and less under pressure, however, the sector is well short of confidence levels seen last decade.
Farmer confidence has taken a slight dip according to the final Rabobank rural confidence survey for the year.
Former Agriculture Minister and Otaki farmer Nathan Guy has been appointed New Zealand’s Special Agricultural Trade Envoy (SATE).
Alliance Group has commissioned a new heat pump system at its Mataura processing plant in Southland.
Fonterra has slashed another 50c off its milk price forecast as global milk flows shows no sign of easing.
Meat processors are hopeful that the additional 15% tariff on lamb exports to the US will also come off.
OPINION: The release of the Natural Environment Bill and Planning Bill to replace the Resource Management Act is a red-letter day…
OPINION: Federated Farmers has launched a new campaign, swapping ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ for ‘The Twelve Pests of Christmas’ to…
