It appears that farmers have become the ‘whipping boy’ of New Zealand politics – first they are forced to bear the increased costs of the Government’s ETS, and now the Green Party wants them to have to beg for permission to farm their own land, ACT New Zealand Agriculture Spokesman David Garrett said today.

“Rather than promote environmentally sustainable methods of farming, the Greens Co-leader Russel Norman said in the House last night that farming ought to be a consented rather than a permitted activity – meaning farmers who can’t get a permit would be out of work on their own land,” Mr Garrett said.

“These attacks on famers are counter-productive.  Farming is the backbone of our country, with agricultural products accounting for more than half of New Zealand’s total exports.

“The heavy-handed, luddite type of approach that the Greens advocate is exactly the kind of bureaucratic regulation that stifles business, increases costs and sees us lose productive sectors of our economy to overseas competitors.

“Federated Famers recently organised an educational visit to a dairy farm in the Manawatu to educate MPs in the reality of dairy farming, and the practical problems they face with ever increasing regulation.  Representatives of all parties attended – except the Greens, who said they were ‘too busy’.

“ACT believes that protecting our environment is important – but Government and business should work together to find effective solutions that do not put people’s livelihoods at risk,” Mr Garrett said.