Sheep & Beef Farm Conversion to Forestry Slows, Risk Remains
Conversions of sheep and beef farms to forestry have slowed, however new research from Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) suggests land of value for food production remains at risk.
Blame for this disaster can be fairly and squarely sheeted home to the current Government.
It has allowed an anomaly in law that bans overseas owners from buying land in this country for farming purposes, but at the same time allows foreignt investors to buy swathes of farmland to be planted in pine forests that will never be harvested and be used to offset their carbon emissions.
You can't blame farmers for selling their farms and taking the highest price, which inevitably is coming from carbon forest investors.
However, this is not just limited to Joe-average farmers.
The Hound understands a high profile farmer - with a number of directorships in farming companies recently sold out to carbon interests.
If industry leaders are are doing this, what chance for the rest of us?
