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The government’s current raft of environmental policy reforms have come in for criticism from leading agricultural lobby groups, after their pleas for a slow-down fell on deaf ears.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ), Federated Farmers and Deer Industry New Zealand say farmers are struggling to keep up and wrote to ministers calling for a pause in its latest indigenous biodiversity proposals and an extension to the six-week consultation period.
However, Climate Change Minister James Shaw said this wouldn’t be considered. B+LNZ chief executive Sam McIvor said the response was disappointing.
“Farmers are already inundated by water, climate and conservation policy changes – not to mention reforms of the entire Resource Management Act itself,” he said.
“These issues are having a significant impact across the agriculture sector and it’s disappointing that the Government isn’t even allowing for four more weeks of consultation.” McIvor said the groups would be writing to the government urging them to reconsider.
