Come on Environment Southland and work with your farmers

Following a special meeting, Federated Farmers Southland is prepared to work with Environment Southland on environmental policies. However, to keep farmers on side, it needs the council to defer statutory consultation by consulting wider on new rules affecting farming.

“There’s not a member or a farmer in New Zealand who’d wish to have the label ‘polluter’ hung around their neck,” says Russell McPherson, Federated Farmers Southland vice-president.

“The thing is that farmers like me don’t just farm in Southland, we live here and so do our kids. We’ve got as much stake in the environment and the future as anybody else. I know we’ve bumped heads with Environment Southland but we’re willing to put that behind us to go forward.

“All we now need is a sign from Environment Southland that they’re willing to do the same.

“That sign would be for the council to defer transitional region-wide policies and rules instead of adopting them on Wednesday.

“Any delay to adoption will help test the robustness of what’s being proposed. Consulting before adoption is not only democratic but it will help avoid problems thrown up when acting under urgency, whether that’s in Parliament or a council.

“I don’t think putting these policies and rules out for public consultation before adoption is being unreasonable. Getting everyone’s buy-in is the secret to good public policy after all.

“We’ve also got our members to a point where they’re saying, ‘if that’s what the community wants after having all the facts, we’ll play ball’. If the policy is imposed on Wednesday instead, it really risks the attitude hardening to one of, ‘stuff the council’.”

“The biggest risk Environment Southland faces, is burning off any willingness of farmers to engage. All farmers want is for a consultation process to run its proper course.

“We’re pleading with Environment Southland to bring the community into this discussion before it adopts the rules. Some cooler councillor heads need to prevail on Wednesday because at the end of the day, we all want the same thing,” Mr McPherson concluded.

Motion passed by a special meeting of Federated Farmers Southland provincial executive on Friday 9 December 2011:

“That Federated Farmers Southland demands that Environment Southland defers the Transitional Region-wide Policy & Rule planned for adoption on 14th December 2011 and any other rules that can affect the future of farming and the economy of Southland until a full and proper consultation and submission process is held with affected parties.”