ACT has reaffirmed its longstanding position that Landcorp/Pamu should be sold after it reported a net loss after tax of $26 million for the year ending 30 June.

“Government has no business being in farming, particularly when New Zealand has plenty of ambitious, talented farmers who deserve the opportunity to farm the land currently owned by Landcorp”, says ACT’s Primary Industries spokesperson and Ruawai dairy farmer Mark Cameron.

“Landcorp has delivered an extremely poor return on the taxpayer’s investment for many years.

“An independent review in 2021 found the organisation failed to meet financial forecasts, had high corporate costs, and invested in unprofitable off-farm ventures.

“No private operation would be able to continue to fail like this. Landcorp is taking taxpayers for a ride.

“ACT has previously proposed selling Landcorp off in chunks and using the proceeds to fund conservation on private land. Where Treaty of Waitangi concerns precluded the sale of particular pieces of land, we would retain them in Crown ownership and provide long-term leases to the SOE.

“If private farmers owned these farms, they would operate them more efficiently because they would have skin in the game.

“The role of government is to provide essential services, not to compete with businesses in the private sector.”

© Scoop Media