Future farming ethos must be embraced

Fish & Game NZ welcomes the launch of the new Future Farming Centre at Lincoln University as a bold step towards addressing the environmental impact of agriculture in New Zealand.

“The centre has got a future focus which is what we’ve been advocating for some time,” says Fish & Game NZ chief executive Bryce Johnson who attended the opening in Christchurch today.

“New Zealand’s key overseas markets are increasingly demanding goods that are produced in an environmentally sustainable manner, and yet the sector has been slow to cotton on to this trend.”

Because the Future Farming Centre is dedicated to environmentally sustainable agriculture, Mr Johnson says it will assist farmers transition to more sustainable production.

“We wrote to Lincoln University’s chancellor some years ago promoting the idea of establishing a chair for environmentally sustainable agriculture. We see this as the beginning of the culmination of that initiative.

“It’s a credit to Lincoln University for realising the only future for agriculture in this country is having a sector that is truly compatible with New Zealand’s environmental integrity and ‘100% Pure’ branding,” says Mr Johnson.

“We’re regularly reminded of the adverse environmental impacts of unsustainable agriculture through reports on the declining water quality of our rivers and lakes. A centre of excellent dedicated to addressing this issue will help lead the industry to where it needs to be.”