{"id":43086,"date":"2021-03-19T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-18T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmersweekly.co.nz\/unity-needed-to-tackle-rules\/"},"modified":"2021-03-19T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-03-18T11:00:00","slug":"unity-needed-to-tackle-rules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmersweekly.co.nz\/news\/unity-needed-to-tackle-rules\/","title":{"rendered":"Unity needed to tackle rules"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

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.<\/p>\n

The day followed the announcement by Environment Minister David Parker that the Government had accepted some of the group\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are talking about a whole suite of issues, all inter-related, that we have got to keep an eye on,\u201d Allen said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen working out of Wellington there are so many complexities the policymakers just don\u2019t understand \u2013 it may only be a little bit to them, but it means a lot to farmers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Allen highlighted classification and detail such as policy around stock exclusion and waterways as downfalls from a lack of understanding.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is the classification of a lake \u2013 man-made, puddles, stream, ditch (or) river?\u201d he asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c(Which is ) the most problematic for the high country being wetlands \u2013 there is not enough detail and that\u2019s creating confusion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fencing is another misunderstanding.<\/p>\n

\u201cFencing 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cClearly this is a North Island bureaucratic definition.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an example of the classification and detail farmers and industry must continue to challenge if we are to get practical solution-based outcomes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beef + Lamb NZ environmental policy manager Corina Jordan urged farmers to think carefully around their management plan for wetland areas.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan we hope for a rule change here? I think we will find it hard to get significant changes to the wetland rules,\u201d Jordan said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHave a farm management plan in your back pocket as a full-back position.\u201d<\/p>\n

The question was asked whether Minister Parker is ensuring his people are fully informed.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow many Ministry for the Environment (MfE) people are here today?\u201d a farmer asked.<\/p>\n

Jordan says it\u2019s a matter of education.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have been trying to get MPI and MfE out to ground-truth them on catchment opportunities and issues,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is about building knowledge and understanding, these high policy analysts need education, they just look at their own silo.\u201d<\/p>\n

B+LNZ South Island general manager John Hadley outlined a new strategy launched at the annual meeting last week.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are rolling out farm planning to help farmers meet their environment, consumer, business and regulatory needs,\u201d Ladley said.<\/p>\n

National spokesperson for agriculture David Bennett told farmers the blame for impractical regulation should not be directed on officials.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not the officials\u2019 fault they are being driven by policy; these are top-down government decisions,\u201d Bennett said.<\/p>\n

\u201cGovernment is making a very concerted effort on how they get change through hitting the weak spots in the regions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are playing for time and that will make it difficult for us to get the solutions in the way we would like to.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is important farmers get ahead of it and work with groups such as Federated Farmers, Beef and Lamb and DairyNZ \u2013 unity is key, work together and put good data around it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only angle you can take is negotiation with the Government, and I urge you to work with your industry representative groups to do that.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"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.\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":43087,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t