‘Kiwis Backing Farmers’: Campaign urges NZ to support sheep and beef industry

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A new campaign launched by Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) and rural advocacy group 50 Shades of Green is designed to raise New Zealanders’ awareness of what they term “crippling Government policies”.

The “Kiwis Backing Farmers” campaign highlights “the overwhelming wave of policies and proposals threatening the future of sheep and beef farms and rural communities across the country” the groups said in a statement.

At the heart of the campaign is the www.kiwisbackingfarmers.nz website, which outlines simple policy solutions and enables Kiwis to show their support for sheep and beef farmers by sending their views directly to the Government.

Many of the Government’s policies affecting sheep and beef farmers had been developed in isolation, B+LNZ chief executive, Sam McIvor said.

He said B+LNZ was asking the Government to undertake a review of the “cumulative impact” of these policies “as the combination of these rules will cause irreparable harm”.

Areas of concern for B+LNZ include policies around freshwater reforms and methane targets, as well as proposed biodiversity rules.

However, McIvor said the “out-of-control” conversion of sheep and beef properties into carbon farming was the most urgent.

Gwyn Jones, of 50 Shades of Green, had been at the forefront of this issue with B+LNZ.

He said his group was “not anti-forestry” and strongly supported the integration of trees within farms, but 50 Shades of Green was still concerned by the trend.

“As the carbon price increases, more and more food-producing farms are being sold and converted into carbon farms so fossil fuel emitters can offset their emissions, rather than reduce them.

“It’s a short-term solution that is frankly kicking the can down the road at the expense of rural communities and our economy.”

McIvor said “one key response” was required when tackling the carbon farming issue.

“We’re calling on the Government to put limits on the amount of forestry that can be offset in the Emissions Trading Scheme, and to do this before any price on agricultural emissions is introduced; otherwise it will just hasten the number of farmers leaving the land.”

Listen to Jamie Mackay interview Sam McIvor on The Country below:

As for biodiversity and emissions, Kiwi sheep and beef farmers were doing their bit already, McIvor said.

“Sheep and beef farmers are already the largest custodians of New Zealand’s biodiversity after the national conservation estate, through their own volition...

The country’s current methane reduction targets were excessive and “out of step with science,” McIvor said.

“We’re playing our part in addressing global warming – we’ve reduced our emissions by 30 per cent since 1990.

“[The targets] mean pastoral farming, and the sheep and beef sector, in particular, is being asked to do significantly more than fossil fuel emitters.”

B+LNZ chairman Andrew Morrison said the red meat sector had been a standout in the economy during the Covid-19 pandemic and recovery, providing $12 billion in income per year to New Zealand and nearly five per cent of total employment on-farm and in processing and support services.

“Anything that compromises our sector’s viability or forces sheep and beef farmers out of business will make the country poorer and ultimately increase food costs.”