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Federated Farmers President Wayne Langford
Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford says the Coalition Government’s first budget unveiled yesterday has no frills or surprises.
“Just like the average farmer’s budget this season, the Government doesn’t have a lot of spare cash laying around to spend on nice-to-haves and optional extras,” notes Langford.
He says at an operational level, he was relieved to see all the non-negotiables were still there, with continued funding for things like frontline biosecurity, catchment groups and cyclone recovery.
“Unfortunately, that’s as far as the money stretched.
“I think it would be fair to say that when farmers are doing well, the New Zealand economy seems to do pretty well too – but times are tough. Money has been tight for most farming families for a while now, and it looks like that economic reality is starting to hit home for the rest of the country.”
Langford reiterated his earlier comments to media that that the road to New Zealand’s economic success”s isn’t paved with more red tape, regulation and compliance costs”.
“The road to our economic success is paved with more milk, meat, fruit and grain.
“We need to be unshackling the potential of our productive sectors, and those who get out of bed each morning to milk cows, shift cattle, harvest crops and pick fruit. Those are the people who create jobs and earn an income for our country that pays for all those other things like schools, roads and hospitals.
“Farmers aren’t looking for a handout. We just want the Government to continue to cut the unnecessary red tape and compliance costs that have been bogging us down for too long.”
Central Otago District Council (CODC) has voted against a plan to spread treated sewage sludge from Cromwell and Alexandra on farmland near Lauder, a decision Federated Farmers says reflects strong opposition from rural residents.
Federated Farmers has called on Central Otago District Council (CODC) to drop or vote down a plan to truck sludge from Alexandra and Cromwell to farmland near Lauder, warning it would compound an "outrageous" situation created by a separate council's decision weeks earlier.
Federated Farmers says new legislation replacing the Resource Management Act will cut red tape, unlock investment and help grow New Zealand's export-led economy, after the Planning Bill and Natural Environment Bill passed their third reading in Parliament yesterday.
Leading figures from the major political parties will be questioned on their primary sector policies at the Rural Issues Debate at Mystery Creek Events Centre, Hamilton, on 30 September.
Will the good times last? That's one of the key issues to come out of the latest Federated Farmers confidence survey.
Waikato milk processor Tatua has again declared a record milk payout to farmer shareholders, leaving other processors in the dust.
A Labour-led Government won’t be bringing back the controversial freshwater rules of 2020.
National’s much-touted free trade deal with India featured in the Rural Issues Debate at Mystery Creek, Hamilton on Wednesday night.
New Zealand's 2026-27 freshwater fishing season has opened, with anglers encouraged to head to rivers and lakes over the coming days as conditions look favourable across much of the country.
Central Otago District Council (CODC) has voted against a plan to spread treated sewage sludge from Cromwell and Alexandra on farmland near Lauder, a decision Federated Farmers says reflects strong opposition from rural residents.
Pāmu has released its FY26 Integrated Annual Report, reporting a Net Operating Profit of $113 million, more than double the $49 million recorded in FY25.
