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OPINION: Irate Southland farmers are on the money denying anglers access across their land.
And social media posts show there's growing support to spread the boycott throughout the country. That's exactly what happened in 2014 with the 'Lock the Gate' campaign kicked off by Rural News.
For too long, Fish & Game has been using membership fees, collected from the public and farmers, to fund court battles to unfairly suppress farming.
It's clear that farmers strongly back the Southland Federated Farmers' call for local farmers to boycott Fish & Game and remove fishing access across their land. The call to action was sparked by a court decision which would require 3000 Southland farmers to apply for resource consent to keep farming lawfully. Southland Fish & Game and Forest & Bird have been pushing for the ruling. They've welcomed the decision, saying it would help the province's degraded rivers and waterways.
As Feds Southland president Jason Herrick says, Fish & Game has failed to reciprocate the goodwill shown by farmers in allowing anglers to walk across their land.
"We're fed up with Southland Fish & Game's persistent, belligerant anti-farming rhetoric and their opposition to everything we do. We've tried our best to maintain our relationship with them, but they've washed that relationship away down the Mataura River," Herrick says.
Farmers are being urged to take down access signs on the properties. Feds are making it clear that farmers shouldn't destroy access signs put up by F&G. Instead, the signs can be returned to Fish & Game.
Some farmers are calling for the Feds to consider a national boycott, noting that, if successful in Southland, Fish & Game will be advocating similar regulations throughout the country.
For now, Federated Farmers Southland is appreciative of the nationwide support and is asking supporters to put orange on roadside gates to show support, wherever you are in the country.
The time has come to stop Fish & Game in its tracks. Farmers have been allowing access to anglers in good faith, only to be kicked in the guts time and again by Fish & Game.
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.
OPINION: Have a plan in place now!
When Northland leather worker Vernon Suckling started making horse saddles 50 years ago, quad bikes and side-by-side vehicles were unheard of.
Alliance Group has confirmed that eligible farmer-shareholders who supply and continue to back the business will receive up to $20 million later this year, following the strategic investment partnership with Dawn Meats.
With a general election under five weeks away, Rural News is asking major political parties about their policies and positions on key issues facing the primary sector. We will run their responses to each question over the next four weeks. The ACT Party and the Greens didn't respond in time.
The red meat sector is in great heart.
Dr Scott Champion, Foundation for Arable Research chief executive, says that everyone in the supply chain had a role to play in driving the sector's long-term success.
Entries opened on Monday, 5 October 2026 for the 2027 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards (NZDIA), which organisers describe as the nation's biggest celebration of excellence in the dairy sector.
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