40 | Federated Farmers requests mostly fulfilled Roy family - Malcolm, Lesley, Matt and Sam. R1 cattle coming in for animal health (below). Kim Bowden South Canterbury farmers are heading into the general election with a clear message for whoever forms the next government: keep the reforms moving and make it easier to farm. Federated Farmers South Canterbury meat and wool chair Lesley Roy says the sector has seen progress over the past three years, but there is still plenty of work to do. Her report card on the current government: “I don’t know that we’re at an A yet, but they’ve certainly listened,” she says. “That’s step one – actually listening, paying attention and then working to change things.” She says Federated Farmers had presented an election manifesto three years ago and the government had “just about ticked off every single one” of its asks. Among the priorities for South Canterbury farmers are reform of local government and the Resource Management Act, reducing the regulatory burden on farming, and better pest control. Lesley says South Canterbury is well placed to contribute to local government reform after constructive engagement between Federated Farmers and the region’s councils. The existing Environment Canterbury (Canterbury Regional Council) model is “broken” and has not served rural communities well, she says. RMA reform is another key issue, particularly around proposed farm plans. She supports farm plans for sheep and beef farmers if they are risk-based, fit for purpose and built around systems already in place. A 5,000-acre property carrying 5,000 stock units has a very different environmental risk profile to a highly intensive operation, she says. “Why would we reinvent a whole new farm plan when we could work with what’s already existing to build on that?” Pest control is another major concern, particularly wallabies and wilding pines in South Canterbury and the Mackenzie Country. She also supports reopening some high-country land for grazing, saying light grazing can help control introduced weeds and pests, benefitting neighbouring farms and conservation. Another priority is creating better pathways for young people into sheep and beef farming. With many farmers nearing retirement, the sector faces a significant intergenerational transfer of land and wealth. RURAL PEOPLE » Lesley Roy Unlike dairy farming, sheep and beef has no obvious progression from employment into management and eventually farm ownership, she says. “How do we get young people into those farms? How do we get them trained? How do we get them able to find a way into farm ownership?” On her own property, the outlook is considerably more positive than it was three years ago. The farm has recently completed pre-lamb shearing and scanning, with scanning rates up approximately 15 percent. Strong stock prices and a favourable winter have also provided encouragement. After several difficult years of high interest rates and poor returns, the family is now investing in fertiliser, maintenance, fencing and additional water storage. “We would have said then that that was probably one of the hardest times we’d ever farmed through,” she says, of the situation three years ago. “So that has been a great turnaround, and long may it last.” ARTIN W W AKEFIELD LTD BUSINESS ADVISORS & ACCOUNTING SERVICES RURAL BUSINESS SERVICES Benchmarking • Bookkeeping / Accounting • Budgeting • Business Start-up • Financing • Cash Flow Forecasting • Financial Planning • Monitored Business Performance • Office Duties • Payroll Services • Portfolio Management • Software Solutions • Strategic Planning Level 1, 26 Canon Street, Timaru / Level 1, 61 Mandeville Street, Christchurch | 03 687 7122 | Fax: 03 684 8558 | reception@martinwakefield.co.nz | www.martinwakefield.co.nz Proud to support Lesley Roy WE WORK WITH The immediate job is preparing for lambing and calving, and keeping on top of pigs - “it’s a neverending job” - with more than 100 culled each year. As the election approaches, Lesley says Federated Farmers will continue engaging with candidates, regardless of which parties ultimately form the government. “Regardless of who’s in power and who’s sitting around the tables, we need to make sure that our farmers are well served.”
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