The 12 pests ruining Christmas for farmers
Pine trees and deer might stir up warm feelings of festive joy for many Kiwis, but for farmers they represent mostly cost, destruction and heartache.
That's why Federated Farmers has launched a new campaign, swapping 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' for 'The Twelve Pests of Christmas' to highlight the most troublesome farm pests.
Richard Dawkins, Federated Farmers' spokesperson on pest issues, says the campaign is about raising awareness of New Zealand's growing pest problem and hopefully spurring some action.
"Sure, we're taking a cheeky and playful tone with our messaging, but this is a serious issue that needs some urgent attention from the Beehive.
"These pests and weeds aren't just a minor nuisance; they're an economic and environmental crisis causing serious problems for farmers and conservationists.
"They're spreading disease, destroying native forests, killing native birds, chewing through farmer's pasture, and in some cases eating newborn lambs - it's absolutely devastating.
To highlight the problem, Federated Farmers has booked a large digital billboard outside the Beehive and will feature a new pest each day in the lead-up to Christmas.
"Unfortunately, these pests are out of sight and out of mind for most New Zealanders, running rampant through farms and forests, not cities and suburbs," Dawkins says.
"That's why we wanted to put them up in bright lights in central Wellington - to make politicians and the public really sit up and take notice."
Dawkins says New Zealand's pest problem is getting worse by the day, and we need a coordinated national pest management plan to protect our farms, forests and biodiversity.
"Pests are costing farmers hundreds of millions of dollars every year in lost pasture, damaged fences and stock losses - but there is a large cost to indigenous biodiversity too.
"And the problem is only getting worse. New Zealand's pest control systems are severely underfunded and too fragmented to do the job properly.
"Responsibility is scattered across DOC, regional councils, MPI, OSPRI and others, but there is no single lead agency with overall responsibility - so we keep going backwards.
"We're calling for a national pest strategy that unites all the main players under one co-ordinated plan covering all species and land tenures."
Dawkins says most urban New Zealanders would be horrified if they saw the true scale of the pest problem facing farmers and conservationists.
"For example, I'm well aware of many farmers - like those in the Lawrence area of Otago - who are losing large numbers of newborn lambs to feral pigs coming out of forestry blocks.
"These farmers are heading out during lambing season to find their paddocks strewn with the picked-clean carcasses of dead lambs. It's terrible stuff."
And pigs are just one of the 12 pests robbing farming families of Christmas joy.
Other pests on Federated Farmers' naughty list include wilding pines, possums, feral deer, feral goats, wild cats, wallabies, rabbits, and Canada Geese.
Dawkins says he hopes the 'The Twelve Pests of Christmas' campaign will spark some serious conversations about the issue.
"If we can get everyday New Zealanders talking about our national pest problem as they stand around a barbeque drinking a beer this summer, then we've done our job.
"And if we can get Ministers talking about the issue around the Cabinet table, that's even better, because they're who we need to step up and sort this out.
"Farmers are doing their bit - trapping, shooting, poisoning, fencing, clearing, monitoring, you name it - but this can't be solved farm by farm.
"A national problem of this scale requires a national solution - but that will require much more coordination, funding and leadership."
Full lyrics to Federated Farmers' The Twelve Pests of Christmas
On the first day of Christmas, my neighbour sent to me: bush pigs rooting in the field
On the second day of Christmas, my neighbour sent to me: 2 wall-a-bies
On the third day of Christmas, my neighbour sent to me: 3 wild deer
On the fourth day of Christmas, my neighbour sent to me: 4 kill-er cats
On the fifth day of Christmas, my neighbour sent to me: FIVE WILD-ING PINES!
On the sixth day of Christmas, my neighbour sent to me: 6 chewing goats
On the seventh day of Christmas, my neighbour sent to me: 7 T-B possums
On the eighth day of Christmas, my neighbour sent to me: 8 rab-bits breed-ing
On the ninth day of Christmas, my neighbour sent to me: 9 Can-a-da geese
On the tenth day of Christmas, my neighbour sent to me: 10 ducks de-stroy-ing
On the eleventh day of Christmas, my neighbour sent to me: 11 koi carp swir-ling
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my neighbour sent to me: 12 rats a-gnaw-ing