Kiwi farmers 'take a bow' on World Food Day
October 16 2008
Kiwi farmers 'take a bow' on World
Food Day
On World Food Day 2008, Federated Farmers
President, Don Nicolson,
called on all New Zealanders to
stand up and celebrate the contribution
farmers make to
both the economy and the world's need for food.
Mr
Nicolson said:
"Farmers are proud to be the 'thin
line of gumboots' literally keeping
New Zealand from an
economic depression. With 61% of everything we sell
to
the world coming from the primary sector, the livelihood of
almost
every New Zealander depends on the hard work of
our farmers.
"World Food Day is the perfect opportunity
for everyone to appreciate
the wonderful access we have
to the best quality food in the world.
"Think of what
goes into your breakfast cereals, sourced from
the
world's best arable crops matched with milk from our
free range cows.
Appreciate the hard work of our
apiarists as you spread honey onto your
toast and when
you come to have beef or lamb for dinner, the hard
work
put in by our magnificent sheep and beef
farmers."
New Zealand's farmers stand ready to meet the
challenge posed by rapidly
rising demand for food
worldwide, growing at 80 million mouths every
year. The
2008 World Food Day theme focuses on the increased cost
for
food as a result of climate change and global demand.
With drought
hitting New Zealand's agricultural output in
the last season, Federated
Farmers was alert to farmers'
needs by assisting them though adverse
events and
launching campaigns like T150, to improve the
profitability
and viability of sheep farming. Mr
Nicolson continued:
"New Zealand has an agricultural
sector that is world class, efficient
and subsidy free.
Despite competing on an uneven playing field we help
feed
more than 0.7% of the world's population but produce less
than 0.1%
of global emissions. That's why we think it
wrong agriculture is
included in our emissions trading
scheme; we are the only country on
earth to do
so.
"With the underlying world food situation changing
from surplus to
shortage, World Food Day is a time for
our politicians to stop and
reflect on the need for our
farmers to produce more food for the world,
not less."
ends