Federated Farmers Southland meat and wool chairwoman Bernadette Hunt said there is no co-ordinated campaign to overthrow Fish and Game’s leaders but there is a prevailing view among farmers the organisation is anti-farming.
Many find it galling fishing and hunting licences, in-part paid for by farmers, are being used by Fish and Game to fund attacks unfairly singling out the sector.
“It is felt strongly that there is an anti-farmer sentiment by Fish and Game, whereas it is not just up to farmers to maintain waterways.
“There is strong evidence that high E coli levels in Southland rivers are caused by ducks but Fish and Game is not doing anything about it.”
The organisation needs to better represent the broad cross-section of licence holders, many of whom are farmers, she said.
Nominations for election to the organisation’s 12 councils open on August 13 with voting closing on October 12 and results announced on October 20.
Federated Farmers wants to work constructively with Fish and Game and Hunt said the two groups are meeting shortly to try to resolve differences and find common ground with Fish and Game’s appeal against Environment Southland’s Water and Land Plan.
The group’s appeal included a request to remove from the council’s objectives the words primary production in reference to recognising water and land as an “enabler of primary production and the economic, social and cultural wellbeing of the region”.
Hunt said that had angered many farmers who said it denied the fact the primary sector is the key economic activity in Southland and is another example of an attack on farming by Fish and Game.
A spokesman for Fish and Game NZ said any licence holder can stand for election to one of the organisation’s 12 councils.
He said farmers are already represented on many councils and chair the North Canterbury and West Coast councils.
