Farming
- Federated Farmers Southland calls on local farmers to boycott Fish & Game licences.
- The boycott comes after a court ruling requiring consents for over 3000 Southland farmers.
- Farmers asked to remove fishing access and replace signs with orange ribbons in protest.
Federated Farmers Southland is urging farmers to boycott Fish & Game and remove access for anglers from their land, following a recent court decision. The group’s president, Jason Herrick, says the call to action is a response to Southland Fish & Game’s “persistent, belligerent anti-farming rhetoric.”
"Farmers have always allowed anglers to walk across their land as a gesture of goodwill but, unfortunately, that goodwill has been completely eroded by Southland Fish & Game," Herrick said. "We’re fed up with their opposition to everything we do."
The dispute was triggered by a court ruling that will require more than 3000 Southland farmers to apply for a resource consent just to continue farming. Federated Farmers believe Fish & Game played a key role in this outcome, which Herrick described as a “kick in the guts” for local farmers.
"We’ve tried our best to maintain our relationship with them, but they’ve washed that relationship away down the Mataura River. We’re now calling for local farmers to join us in boycotting fishing licences, and to remove fishing access by taking down access signs," Herrick added.
As a sign of protest, the organisation is encouraging farmers to replace the access signs with orange ribbons. "Anyone else who wants to show their support could do that by attaching an orange ribbon to their roadside gate as well," Herrick said. However, he stressed that farmers should not destroy access signs but could return them to Fish & Game.
Southland Fish & Game expressed disappointment in the boycott, arguing that Federated Farmers is using the issue to limit access for everyday New Zealanders wanting to fish recreationally. Southland Fish & Game manager, Zane Moss, said they have worked closely with farmers in the past and understood their challenges. He highlighted that the organisation gave evidence alongside Federated Farmers in the recent Environment Court case.
"Based on the evidence, the court concluded our rivers were significantly degraded by diffuse discharges," Moss said. "Environment Southland should put effective rules in place around the riskiest practices so all farmers are not required to seek consents."
Despite the call to action, Federated Farmers is keeping the boycott specific to Southland, as Herrick emphasised. The tension between the two organisations has been growing, and this latest move is the “last straw” for many local farmers, he stated.