More good farmland lost forever

News that two large New Zealand farms have been sold off-shore, largely for forestry is depressing according to 50 Shades of Green spokesman Mike Butterick. The same owner has purchased both properties.

One farm is 734,700 hectares at Eketahuna that sold for $3.35 million. The other is 1037,000 hectares in Wairoa sold for $6 million.

“It’s bad enough having the land sold to foreigners but having good productive farmland sold for forestry and subdivision is criminal,” Mike Butterick said.

“Once the land is sold for forestry it is effectively lost to food production. You can’t eat trees.

“On local averages the land could raise 16,000 stock units providing local communities with services, jobs and income and a hungry population with food.

“It is so incredibly short-sighted of the government to allow this to happen. The local Wairoa and Tararua communities will be devastated.

“Combined with the land previously sold in both areas for trees I can see meat processing facilities and agriculture support companies closing with the lost jobs and services that will encourage.”

“50 Shades of Green has no problem with the right tree in the right place. We have major issues with good, productive farmland being sold off-shore for forestry in the current wholesale manner.

“It is a crisis and must be fixed and now and another nail in the coffin of our wellbeing in the provinces,” Mike Butterick said.

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