Perhaps more important are the bigger issues on the horizon for farmers, issues I’m heartened to see the industry has been gaining speed in addressing recently.
The environment is one of them. Last week’s announcement of the Good Farming Practice Action plan was a great step forward in both raising our environmental game and showing consumers and the rest of New Zealand our commitment to do so, which in some ways is just as important. Seeing the farming industry and the Government working together on this was also encouraging.
Upstream from this is telling our food story and the Taste Pure Nature red meat brand is an excellent initiative. There will be a big Irish contingent at Fieldays and perhaps farming leaders will pick their brains about Origin Green a bit more. A whole-of-NZ food brand is a must if we’re to really move up the value chain.
There are headwinds of course. Mycoplasma bovis is the big one at the moment and everyone hopes it can be eradicated. It has added more stress to an already stressful job so it’s important the support is there for those who need it.
This leads me to my last point. The health and wellbeing of people is the most important issue we face. Having access to services is essential, from doctors to mental health practitioners to social and educational centres. But it’s also about takinc care of one another. Farming is an isolating job and it’s important to share your problems, talk things through and help one another out.
So, if you’re at Mystery Creek this week I ask you to take the time to share with and listen to your mates there. Make sure they’re doing okay. And if you’re not, why not go and see your neighbour and have a yarn over a cuppa? As the proverb goes, He aha te mea nui o te ao. He tangata, he tangata, he tangata. What is the most important thing in the world? It is the people, it is the people, it is the people.
Bryan Gibson
