Groundswell NZ is launching a campaign to Say No to interacting with the Government when it demands information used to harm food producers and rural communities, Groundswell NZ co-founder Bryce McKenzie says.

“Taking action to Say No is a short-term necessity, until the Government puts in place workable regulations that achieve real environmental outcomes and respect the privacy and property rights of those they affect.

“Food producers will no longer jump through the Government’s hoops and provide information that is used to advance a policy agenda hostile to farmers and rural communities.”

“After the strong response to the boycott of the Stats NZ Agricultural Production Census, we’re escalating to take aim at other counter-productive and onerous Government policies.”

The continued use of the GWP100 emissions metric, instead of the more appropriate GWP* or a warming-effect based approach, led to the boycott of the Ag Production Census.

“Groundswell NZ is calling for New Zealand’s farmers and growers to say no.”

“Say no to allowing public agencies to survey on your private land.”

The surveys carried out under the RMA and the NPS-IB will make liabilities out of the natural, cultural, and historic features on private land, when central and local government should be empowering landowners to care for them.

“Say no to participating in central government-controlled farm plans.”

The one-size-fits-all approach the Government is taking to farm plans is riding rough shod over the industry and regional council farm plans that have served farmers and communities well for years.

“Say no to calculating your emissions number.”

Food producers have a part to play in addressing climate warming and the calculations made in the Know Your Number programme will obscure this role by failing to account for carbon sequestration and the minimal warming effect of methane.

“Say no to requesting resource consent for winter grazing.”

Winter grazing regulations remain unworkable, and the slope rules have little to do with how waterways are actually affected by winter grazing. Farmers should be responsible for the actual effect they have on waterways, not for a bureaucrat’s assumptions about the slope of their land.

"Freshwater issues are best addressed by prioritising action on those water bodies most at risk and by councils working in partnership with their communities, as exemplified by the hugely successful Catchment Groups approach.”

“Full details of our campaign are at www.groundswellnz.co.nz/campaigns/say-no”

“Groundswell NZ looks forward to a future with regulations food producers can comply with in good conscience, but it looks like a long road ahead until the Government works with food producers and local communities, rather than dictating from the Beehive,” says Mr McKenzie.
 

© Scoop Media