Farmers turn up heat over dogs

Federated Farmers is set to ramp up its campaign against mandatory microchipping of dogs in the face of a resolute Government.

It is planning public meetings and regional protest action this month and early June and is actively seeking the support of urban dog owners.

But it is ruling out a large-scale dog protest on the forecourt at Parliament, saying one day of action would be too easy for the Government.

Waikato will host five public meetings next week in Te Kuiti, Tokoroa, Hamilton, Te Aroha and Huntly.

The federation will use its nationwide annual meetings this month and next to plan further action.

Waikato Federated Farmers president Peter Buckley said last night that he was receiving as many calls from urban dog owners as farm dog owners and has launched a petition.

He believed most of the seven councils in his area favoured the position taken by their counterparts in Wairarapa - voting to make compliance the lowest of the council's priorities.

The Waikato meetings follow protest actions in Napier and Waipukurau at the weekend and a decision last week by most South Island councils to ask the Government to exempt working dogs.

The Government has already rejected the farmers' bid to exempt farm dogs, so Federated Farmers is campaigning now to repeal the whole act, for town and country dogs.

Agriculture Minister Jim Anderton took the issue back to the Cabinet but Prime Minister Helen Clark backed the "one law for all dogs" mantra of the Associate Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta.

The Clark Government has backed down twice to farmers - over the so-called fart tax on livestock and over land-access proposals.

Federated Farmers chief executive Annabel Young said the local action was designed to put pressure on local MPs to back a foreshadowed attempt by National and United Future in Parliament in June to exempt farm dogs, and to encourage local authorities to make compliance their lowest priority.