federated farmers

Kiwi farmers may be expected to do more than their fair share to meet methane reduction targets.

A new scientific report from the Universities of Oxford and Cranfield has raised questions about the ambition of New Zealand’s methane reduction targets- and the responsibility falling on farmers.

Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford says farmers have been told they're responsible for half of New Zealand's overall emissions, but the report says otherwise.

"The current targets that are in place- our farmers just aren't going to accept. We don't mind doing our part and playing our role in what we have to do, but we can't do it with unrealistic targets."

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Federated Farmers says it's concerned about the Ministry for the Environment handing out money to encourage participation in reform of the Resource Management Act.

The advocacy group claims it's been offered $600,000 over three years to fund submissions and appearances at hearings.

Spokesperson Mark Hooper says it's a high price tag and the timing doesn't make sense.

"Why try and push this through in the six-week leadup to a general election, when we know that there's opposition parties that are talking about repealing some of these reforms?"

The Ministry has been approached for comment.

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Federated Farmers says it's concerned about the Ministry for the Environment handing out money to encourage participation in reform of the Resource Management Act.

The advocacy group claims it's been offered $600,000 over three years to fund submissions and appearances at hearings.

Spokesperson Mark Hooper says it's a high price tag and the timing doesn't make sense.

"Why try and push this through in the six-week leadup to a general election, when we know that there's opposition parties that are talking about repealing some of these reforms?"

The Ministry has been approached for comment.

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The Minister of Agriculture Damien O’Connor is looking into the idea of implementing a fertilizer tax, costing as much as $150 per tonne.

This tax would replace He Waka Eke Noa, as there are reports that the Government is becoming frustrated with its lack of results.

West Coast farmer and former Federated Farmers President Katie Milne told Jack Tame that this isn’t reflected in the statistics, as agricultural greenhouse gas emissions were down by 1.6% last year, and New Zealand overall had a drop of 1.1%.

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Farmers are dismissing Government funding for mental health support as a drop in the bucket.

Part of the billion dollar cyclone relief package announced yesterday includes 35 million for the safety and wellbeing of farmers and growers.

Federated Farmers Hawke's Bay President Jim Galloway told Kate Hawkesby that it'll help a little.

But he says it won't go anywhere near what's needed to put fences in the ground, dig trees out of silt, or to fix tracks on farms.

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Federated Farmers says the slash inquiry report is brilliant.

The report recommends an immediate halt on large-scale clear-felling of plantation forests.

It also calls for a Woody Debris Taskforce to lead clean-ups, transitioning extreme erosion zones out of pasture, and turning production forestry into permanent forest.

Federated Farmers Gisborne President Toby Williams told Heather du Plessis Allan that he agrees with the report that forestry has lost its social licence in the region.

He says millions of dollars is being exported to offshore companies who own them, and it's about time they paid the piper.

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Concerns about what becomes of the inquiry into forestry slash in Gisborne following Stuart Nash's sacking as Forestry Minister.

The probe was launched after woody debris was blamed for making flood and cyclone damage worse.

Federated Farmers spokesperson Toby Williams says the enquiry is halfway through, with tomorrow the last day of public consultation.

He says a new panellist also started today.

"It's going to take time for the new panellist and new Forestry Minister to get up to speed with the issues, and we'd like to see it extended so we can make sure it's done properly."

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Federated Farmers is calling for the army to be deployed to flood-hit rural communities.

This comes amid increased reports of post-Cyclone Gabrielle crime spikes in the East Coast, despite police saying they have the situation under control.

Federated Farmers CEO Terry Copeland says that people in these isolated communities have been hit hard by the weather and intruders may be the last straw.

"Whether it's disaster tourists who like to see what's going on and rubberneck or whether it's people trying to loot, that's pretty immaterial. It's actually just giving people confidence to be safe and secure at a really difficult time."  

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An independent review into land use in Tairawhiti is now locked in.

Ex-cyclone Hale left waterways and beaches littered with forest debris and slash a month ago.

A forum meeting involving central and local Government, iwi, industry and Federated Farmers reached an agreement to investigate yesterday.

Toby Williams from Federated Farmers says it'll be a review into harvesting practices and an opportunity to give foresters the tools to make changes ahead of the next big rain event.

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Federated Farmers are requesting a Government inquiry into the flooding and destroyed infrastructure left by Cyclone Hale.

They claim that farmers located in the Gisbourne area are dealing with extra damage from slash and residual materials from forestry harvesting after Cyclone Hale hit earlier in the month.

Federated Farmers national board member Toby Williams says the slash from harvesting is being washed onto farmland in heavy rain events, and they need Government action to prevent it from happening.

Toby Williams suggests some policy changes need to be implemented into harvesting practices so the leftover branches and debris are chipped instead of being left to wash down into farmland.

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A second straight drop of dairy prices at the Global Dairy Trade auction this morning.

The first auction of the year has seen overall prices drop by an average of 2.8 percent from the last auction a fortnight ago where it fell 3.8 percent.

Federated Farmers Dairy Chair Richard McIntyre says there are multiple reasons for the drop, including the fact that the world is limited in its ability to pay lots of money for products in general.

McIntyre says we've seen higher milk prices for a long time, but they're just starting to soften off a bit as people begin to run out of surplus money to pay for dairy products.

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Opposition to agricultural reforms gets a wide airing in the media, along with protest and lobby groups fighting the corner against ‘unworkable regulations.’ But farming industry groups - and many farmers - also know adaptation and compromise is inevitable. Mediawatch talks to the editor of Farmers Weekly, whose views end up in the mailbox of almost every farm in the land.

Settling on a scheme to charge for agricultural emissions has taken 20 years of consultation, compromise and scientific research - and agriculture’s leading lobby groups were partners in the process. But obstinate objections and contestable claims from loud outsiders got pride of place in some media this week.