Southland Rural Support Trust chairwoman Cathie Cotter says the campaign has added to the seasonal stress of calving and lambing and a wet, cold latter part of winter.
“We are very concerned for farmers.
“They certainly have got an increase in the amount of stress from these campaigns.”
After a mild start to winter the last three weeks have been wet and cold, which coincided with activists taking pictures of stock to support their campaign.
Cotter says numerous factors can affect winter grazing management and portray a farmer poorly.
“It’s really concerning for us the way pressure is being put on farmers at this time of the year.”
Cotter fears the pressure could make stressed farmers isolate themselves instead of seeking help or talking to others.
Southland Federated Farmers meat and fibre chairwoman Bernadette Hunt agrees stress levels are higher than she has seen previously but farmers also fear for the future of their industry given the regulatory, financial and environmental challenges.
“I have heard from lots of people, a lot of them who have been farming for a long time, and they have never felt so uncertain about what the future holds for the farming sector and I have heard these multiple times.”
Farmers go to bed fearing pictures of stock on their farm will appear in the media without context.
Federated Farmers is calling a meeting of rural organisation to discuss how they can support stressed farmers.
Waikato environmentalist Angus Robson says he and animal welfare activist Geoff Reid worked loosely together on the campaign, for which Robson is unrepentant.
The focus for the last three years has been to correct a broken regulatory and compliance system for the environment and animal welfare.
“We’re not talking about individual farmers here. We’re talking about the system.”
His goal is to have farming systems that produce quality food in a way that does not harm the environment or animals and which commands premium prices.
Robson says agricultural sector groups, farming leaders, regional councils and the Government were all told of his plan.
“If I had not done anything nothing will change.”
Asked to respond to claims he is adding to the stress, Robson says that has come from banks and sector leaders who encouraged and willingly lent money to farmers, locking them into a production system they cannot get out of.
“The stress is from bad decisions made years ago with the launch of hyper intensive dairying or way more stock than the land can handle.
“Now they have borrowed up and got the banks down their necks.”
He accused Southland farmers of being a flat earth society in denial of the impact of their farming system and refuse to listen to those who questioned them or offer alternatives.
Robson has been named on a Government task force to look at winter grazing practices, which is to report back by the end of this month.
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says he has asked the group to do a stock take of initiatives promoting good winter grazing practices and determine why they are not working for all and how to encourage farmers to adopt them.
Environment Southland chief executive Rob Phillips is concerned at some winter grazing practices, highlighted by an abatement notice issued to a farmer who allowed runoff from a crop paddock to flow into the grounds of a neighbouring kindergarten.
“Farmers need to understand that they must use good management practice for all winter grazing, including using portable water troughs and back fences to prevent cows going back into already grazed areas as well as carefully managing critical source areas.”
