Farming
- Federated Farmers Southland are asking the Government to remove Fish & Game’s advocacy role.
- Farmers claim Fish & Game's actions undermine their main role of managing hunting and fishing.
- Many farmers are withholding land access due to Fish & Game’s anti-farming stance.
Federated Farmers Southland have called on the Government to strip Fish & Game of its advocacy role, pushing for the organisation to refocus on its core responsibilities of managing hunting and fishing.
Related: Farmers Urged To Boycott Fish & Game
"Fish & Game are a statutory body but in some parts of the country they’re acting like an environmental activist group," said Federated Farmers Southland president Jason Herrick.
He explained that the organisation has drifted away from its key purpose. "As an organisation they’ve gotten so far away from their core purpose of managing, maintaining, and enhancing sports fish, game birds and their habitats."
Farmers, Herrick noted, are frustrated by Fish & Game’s "obstructive behaviour, unnecessary litigation, and anti-farming rhetoric." He also highlighted that these positions clash with the views of many hunters and fishers, particularly in Southland.
Many farmers, who are hunters and fishers themselves, continue to support the organisation’s critical work. This includes species monitoring, habitat maintenance, and the promotion of hunting and fishing. However, they believe Fish & Game's advocacy undermines these efforts.
"All of that good work is completely undermined by the advocacy positions Fish & Game takes, which is why we are asking for that function to be completely removed," Herrick stated.
He shared his frustration over the use of compulsory licence fees to fund Fish & Game’s advocacy and litigation. "It’s incredibly frustrating to see money raised through a compulsory licence fee used to fund political activism and litigation that I fundamentally disagree with."
Recent disputes between farmers and Fish & Game include opposition to resource consents such as the opening of Waituna Lagoon and gravel extraction from waterways. These conflicts have led to Federated Farmers Southland calling for a boycott of Fish & Game and urging farmers to withhold fishing access across their land.
"For generations farmers have allowed hunters onto our properties, or for fishers to walk across private land to access fishing spots, as a gesture of goodwill," Herrick explained. But now, he said, this goodwill has eroded due to Fish & Game’s stance.
Despite understanding that denying access may frustrate fishermen, Herrick stressed that Fish & Game’s activism has left farmers with no choice but to act. "We now need Southland’s fishing community to stand with farmers and let Fish & Game know that enough is enough."