If restoring confidence in farmers was the goal, Prime Minister Chris Luxon and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay more than succeeded at their public meeting in the South yesterday.
The two were in Waimumu, near Gore, at a "Restoring Farmers’ Confidence" public meeting.
Similar meetings have taken place at Mystery Creek and Ashburton and a crowd of about 300 turned up yesterday.
Mr Luxon said to the crowd the agricultural sector was the backbone of New Zealand’s economy.
"Agriculture, the rural sector, is our biggest and most important economic driver. You know this, and I think the rest of New Zealand is starting to understand it," he said.
"For every man, woman and child around New Zealand you generate $10,000 per person."
"I want you to know you [farmers] are deeply valued by this government and will continue to be so."
Mr Luxon’s announced new policy around trees being grown on productive farming land.
"Today we are announcing we want to get a better balance between forestry and farming, We’re also announcing a moratorium on conversions of wholesale farmland to carbon farming."
The changes included caps on exotic forestry on land-use classification (LUC) farmland, flexibility for farmers to use 25% of their LUC 1-6 land for forestry for the ETS and for landowners to have their LUC categorisation reassessed at the property level.
Mr McClay followed on with more discussion on the government’s work to cut legislative red tape, and the importance of farming.
Mr McClay also said new trade opportunity might be on the horizon for sheep and lamb farmers with Saudi Arabia, reminiscent of a similar deal with Iran.
