Prime Minister-Elect backs farmers to save economy

“New Zealand farmers are global champions at food production and are at the top of the list for economic development,” said Prime Minister-Elect, John Key, to Federated Farmers National Council today in Wellington.

“Mr Key’s speech left us no room for doubt. Farmers are at the core of the new government’s plans to get our economy out of recession. It is clear he is well briefed and informed and has put to us a clear path,” said Federated Farmers president, Don Nicolson.

“Mr Key’s speech reflected the fact that he has read and digested Federated Farmers manifesto, released pre-election. Federated Farmers can confidently sit down with his new ministers after he returns from APEC. We look forward to discussing the review of the emissions trading scheme, reform of the RMA, protection of property rights, infrastructure and animal identification and tracing as well as the Federation’s other top election issues,” Mr Nicolson said.

“Currently the RMA has become skewed towards environmentalism as opposed to the environment.

“Federated Farmers welcomed Mr Key’s appointment of Tim Groser as Trade Minister and New Zealand’s negotiator on climate change. I fully agree with Mr Key that New Zealand needs to get it right in the second commitment period for Kyoto. Mr Key made it clear his government will not put New Zealand farmers out of business ‘just to get a gong from the United Nations’.

“I especially liked it that Mr Key said it was ridiculous farmers were being asked to change with nothing to change to.

“Mr Key said ‘my big concern is we will lose our farming competitive edge to Latin America and we can’t afford to’. Clearly, being the only country proposing to put animal emissions in the ETS would put us as a massive commercial disadvantage. It’s heartening to hear the Prime Minister-Elect acknowledge the risk to our economy,” said Mr Nicolson.

Federated Farmers was also encouraged that the incoming government understands the need to build rural infrastructure including the need for water storage that will assist water allocation, as well as rural broadband, transportation and investment in medical and social services for rural areas.

ENDS

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