Masterton farmer says morale at ‘all-time low’
A young farmer’s voice starts to crack when he talks about the pressure the sector is feeling from the Government and the wider New Zealand public.
Masterton sheep and beef farmer Sully Alsop fully supports an open letter written to Government leaders by an agricultural consultancy firm saying farmer morale was at an all time low.
‘‘You feel like the country’s turned their back on you. When you introduce yourself and say ‘Hi, I’m Sully, I’m a farmer’, they treat you like you’re a leper like ‘way to ruin the environment’,’’ he said.
Alsop, who was runner-up New Zealand Young Farmer of the Year, said farmers would appreciate a more supportive approach from Government in dealing with new legislation that will severely affect their businesses.
‘‘Rather than, ‘you’re going to have to change, deal with it, stop whining’. That’s how it comes across.’’
Chris Garland of BakerAg NZ penned a letter to the Prime Minister and other senior ministers on Wednesday asking for more consideration for the rural sector’s lot in the face of ever more onerous regulation. ‘‘This government’s approach to environmental policy is undermining the mental health and well-being of the pastoral sector.
‘‘Government has contributed strongly toward turning the New Zealand public against farming, which has had a severe impact on farmers’ self-esteem and on their ability to cope with a rapidly changing policy environment.’’
He said farmers were not the ‘‘environmental vandals’’ they were portrayed to be. ‘‘They are a business sector that has found itself at the centre of a maelstrom of environmental concern.’’
Ironically, this negative farmer sentiment came at a time when many commodity prices were high.
‘‘The terms of trade in the sheep and beef sector are some of
‘‘You feel like the country’s turned their back on you.’’ Farmer Sully Alsop
the most buoyant seen for the last 20 years, yet there is a malaise among these farmers that emanates from a sense of worthlessness,’’ Garland said.
This came on the back of Federated Farmers accusing the Government of ‘‘throwing farming under the tractor’’ with the new freshwater accord.
A farmer confidence survey earlier this year showed that despite good returns on the horizon, confidence was at its lowest point in a decade.
Minister for Primary Industries Damien O’Connor was in Thailand and not available for comment yesterday, but had responded to Alsop’s tweet sharing the BakerAg letter.
‘‘If farm advisers and rural media weren’t so keen to repeat negative political rhetoric farmers might feel appreciated,’’ he said.
O’Connor addressed the issue of pressure on farmers when the freshwater accord was announced last week.
‘‘They feel bombarded by people in the cities who don’t understand what they do, don’t understand the value of their contribution to our economy and need to get up to speed with that.
‘‘But the farmers also need to understand that there are ways of conducting their farm management systems that have lower impacts on the environment.’’