Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Unity needed to tackle rules

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While it is encouraging that the Government has listened to the Southland Winter Grazing Advisory Group, it is also the trigger reiterating that farmers must keep being heard, Federated Farmers water and environment spokesperson Chris Allen says.
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The environmental reset facing the high country farming sector proved the underlying current in the presentations and discussions for more than 100 farmers and industry stakeholders who turned out for a field trip through the Lees Valley, North Canterbury, taking in Richon and McDonald Downs Stations.

The day followed the announcement by Environment Minister David Parker that the Government had accepted some of the group’s proposals, including supporting an industry-led intensive winter grazing module to farm plans in the coming year, while also delaying implementation of the winter grazing rules.

In his presentation at the field day, Allen said the announcement was the result of farmers and industry front-footing action for farmer-led practical solutions that will achieve better results than arbitrary rules.

“We are talking about a whole suite of issues, all inter-related, that we have got to keep an eye on,” Allen said.

“When working out of Wellington there are so many complexities the policymakers just don’t understand – it may only be a little bit to them, but it means a lot to farmers.”

Allen highlighted classification and detail such as policy around stock exclusion and waterways as downfalls from a lack of understanding.

“What is the classification of a lake – man-made, puddles, stream, ditch (or) river?” he asked. 

“(Which is ) the most problematic for the high country being wetlands – there is not enough detail and that’s creating confusion.”

Fencing is another misunderstanding.

“Fencing is stated as rails and batons; my fences are wire netting and a hot wire, so in terms of a fence my fences are not fences,” he said.

“Clearly this is a North Island bureaucratic definition.

“This is an example of the classification and detail farmers and industry must continue to challenge if we are to get practical solution-based outcomes.” 

“We must all work together on this; farmers, organisations such as Feds and Beef and Lamb, collaborate our expertise and resources, so as to avoid duplication as we front-up with a united voice.”

Beef + Lamb NZ environmental policy manager Corina Jordan urged farmers to think carefully around their management plan for wetland areas.

“Can we hope for a rule change here? I think we will find it hard to get significant changes to the wetland rules,” Jordan said.

“Have a farm management plan in your back pocket as a full-back position.”

The question was asked whether Minister Parker is ensuring his people are fully informed.

“How many Ministry for the Environment (MfE) people are here today?” a farmer asked.

Jordan says it’s a matter of education.

“We have been trying to get MPI and MfE out to ground-truth them on catchment opportunities and issues,” she said.

“It is about building knowledge and understanding, these high policy analysts need education, they just look at their own silo.”

B+LNZ South Island general manager John Hadley outlined a new strategy launched at the annual meeting last week.

It will invest on behalf of red meat producers for the next five years based on three key priorities, starting with supporting farm excellence, then championing the sector and thirdly, increasing market returns.

The farm planning approach is designed to help farmers with catchment community groups focused on accelerating practical change, with the goal being to have 100% of farmers with active plans by 2025.

“We are rolling out farm planning to help farmers meet their environment, consumer, business and regulatory needs,” Ladley said.

National spokesperson for agriculture David Bennett told farmers the blame for impractical regulation should not be directed on officials.

“It is not the officials’ fault they are being driven by policy; these are top-down government decisions,” Bennett said.

“Government is making a very concerted effort on how they get change through hitting the weak spots in the regions.

“They are playing for time and that will make it difficult for us to get the solutions in the way we would like to.

“It is important farmers get ahead of it and work with groups such as Federated Farmers, Beef and Lamb and DairyNZ – unity is key, work together and put good data around it. 

“The only angle you can take is negotiation with the Government, and I urge you to work with your industry representative groups to do that.

“We support a market-led, regional catchment approach but right now you have top-down government decisions and that is the challenge for all of us.”

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