Dr Jacqueline Rowarth says farming and the All Blacks have a lot in common. File photo / Supplied / Lithgow family
Dr Jacqueline Rowarth says farming and the All Blacks have a lot in common. File photo / Supplied / Lithgow family
Opinion: Dr Jacqueline Rowarth agrees with National leader Christopher Luxon’s recent statement that New Zealanders should back farmers the same way they back the All Blacks.
Farmers, the foundation of the economy, the contributors to the kiwi way of life in many more ways than one, and the producers of food and fibre – are under attack whatever they do.
Or so it seems.
The latest is the research implying that they “do the right thing” where people can see the effects... but not so much where the effects are not visible.
Farmers have been quick to point out that road frontages are often a very different prospect from the back of the farm in terms of slope, soil type and appropriate management.
Although dairy farmers seem to have adopted more Good Management Practices (GMP) than sheep and beef (dry stock) farmers, the result might be a reflection of the questions in the survey (for example, feedpads, stand-off areas, shelters, effluent management and low nitrogen feeds), as well as the type of land that is common under dairy farming in comparison with that supporting dry stock farming.
The dairy platform occupies 1.7 million hectares, which is approximately 6 per cent of New Zealand. It supports 4.9 million milking cows and brings over $22 billion (year to June 2022) into the economy through exports.
Dairy land tends to be in areas that are relatively easy to access by milk tankers. The flat-to-rolling country is also relatively easy to manage.
In contrast, the 8.8 million hectares (2017 estimate) that support dry stock farms with 26 million sheep, under 4 million beef animals and bringing $12.3 billion into the economy, are everywhere from easy to hard hill country that is difficult to access.
The land is also difficult to manage and investment doesn’t always result in measurable improvements. Dr Mike Dodd and co-authors from AgResearch and NIWA have summarised the research on improving water quality from hill country.
They showed that thousands of dollars could be spent on what the GMP research considered “visible good management practices” (such as riparian planting) with little effect on reduction in contaminants.
Knowing this, it is not surprising that some farmers have concentrated on the practices that will make a difference in their areas, not the broad spectrum investigated in the GMP research. Culverts, bridges and sediment traps are more effective than the plantings that look so nice.
Dr Jacqueline Rowarth. Photo / Supplied
It is also not surprising that many farmers have sold to forestry; the ongoing beat-up and increasing compliance are taking their toll.
Since 2017 more than 175,000 ha have been sold with the intent to convert into forestry. The increase has been from 7000 ha in 2017, to over 52,000 ha in 2021.
More than a third of the purchases were for carbon-only farming – that is, no intent to harvest. This might be a relief to everybody concerned about slash and sediment, but it doesn’t create revenue for New Zealand. Nor does it create jobs.
Highly productive land suitable for pastoral or horticultural farming is also going to forestry – an increase from 9.5 per cent of purchases (2017-2019) to 15.5 per cent (2020-2022).
The area of good agricultural land going into forestry a year is about the same as that supporting commercial apple orchards in New Zealand (8000 ha) and just slightly less than the area grown in potatoes (approximately 9500 ha).
The GMP research stated that “in contrast to many other countries, New Zealand’s agricultural sector has low subsidies and relies on self-regulation. Hence, there is a relatively strong role for social pressure exerted by external stakeholders including the farm community and the wider public”.
Social pressure is clear.
Self-regulation is a surprise to most farmers.
Leader of the National Party Christopher Luxon was told by farmers attending the Wānaka Show that they are spending 30 per cent of their time on compliance.
The problem is that the regulators don’t always understand the practical implications of their decisions. Winter grazing and the changes that have occurred because the regulations were unworkable make the point.
But the sad thing for New Zealand is the implication that farmers do what is perceived to be the right thing only when observed when the reality is that some of the things being suggested aren’t right.
Listen to Jamie Mackay interview Dr Jacqueline Rowarth on The Country below:
Luxon has acknowledged the difficulties. At the Wānaka Show, he stated that “farming was critical to New Zealand’s future - it had got the country through the Global Financial Crisis and Covid-19″.
Further, he said that farmers needed to be able to focus on their businesses and not be burdened by regulations which were often unworkable and impractical.
Spending 30 per cent of time on compliance doesn’t add up to an unregulated industry.
They also do their best to improve the environment where research shows that actions will make a difference - whether or not people are watching.
- Dr Jacqueline Rowarth, Adjunct Professor Lincoln University, is a director of DairyNZ, Deer Industry New Zealand and Ravensdown. The analysis and conclusions above are her own. jsrowarth@gmail.com
