Acknowledging on-farm biodiversity
One of the most exciting environmental initiatives to emerge over the past few years is the Community Catchment Group.
Often farmer-led, these groups have popped up all over the country and demonstrate how willing farmers and their communities are to work together to address the issues specific to their catchment.
There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to environmental management. Phosphorous may be a water quality issue in one catchment and nitrates in another, and it’s great to see action taking place on the ground to address local issues.
It is this community-driven approach that we believe should be a tenet of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity (NPSIB) which the Government has recently released for consultation.
According to University of Canterbury research, 2.8 million hectares of New Zealand’s native vegetation sits on sheep and beef farms, including 1.4 million ha of native forest.
There are 4503 QEII covenants protecting 180,000ha of native biodiversity on this country’s farms and this shows how seriously farmers take the longterm protection of biodiversity.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s environmental policy team are working through the details of NPSIB to ensure what’s being recommended works for farmers, their communities, and most importantly our indigenous biodiversity. They will keep farmers updated with their recommendations ahead of consultation ending in March.
We support protecting native biodiversity and are looking forward to working alongside the
Government, farmers, and communities to ensure we get the best outcome for our environment. We want a framework that acknowledges those who have done good work on farm in support of indigenous biodiversity, while incentivising those who could do more to take action.
Summer has arrived and while much of New Zealand takes a holiday, often workloads on farm are cranking up. There are always pressures to get the job done to beat the heat, to beat the rain, or to finish early to take the kids for a swim. This pressure is unfortunately reflected in farm accident statistics which always soar over the summer.
Being in a rush can lead to poor decision-making which can result in injury or worse. Taking an extra five minutes to do a job safely is better than spending the subsequent six weeks with a leg in plaster or an injured back.
B+LNZ’s Farm Safety Management System Workshops tell farmers to carry the mantra SLAM in their heads – Stop, Look, Assess and Manage.
Looking back on 2019 it has been a mixed year. While product prices are high and interest rates are low, proposed government policies combined with negative media around farming practices and meat consumption has put in a dent in farmers’ confidence.
Heading into 2020, be assured there are a lot of people advocating on behalf of farmers at government level.
Have a very safe and happy festive season and try to take some time out when possible and recharge the batteries for the year ahead.
Andrew Morrison is the chairman of Beef + Lamb New Zealand.