In allowing spiraling costs and rampant inflation to hit New Zealand’s most productive sector, the Labour Government is biting the hand that literally feeds it, National’s Rural Communities spokesperson Nicola Grigg says.
“New Zealand’s agricultural sector is seeing a dramatic rise in input costs as farmers and growers grapple with the same cost of living crisis that is impacting us all.
“The increase in costs is being felt particularly badly by our farmers. In the last year, the cost of fuel has risen more than 44 per cent, fertiliser more than 28 per cent, stock feed and grazing more than six per cent, seeds six percent and power 21 per cent.
“If you want to go out and buy a new Toyota Hilux you’ll now be paying an extra $5175 in ‘ute tax’ when registering it – and Labour will soon be introducing legislation requiring employers pay a 1.4 per cent levy on employees’ salaries into a new ‘income insurance scheme’.
“Labour tries to blame rampant domestic inflation entirely on global forces like the war in Ukraine, but that simply isn’t true because inflation here hit a 30-year-high of 5.9 per cent in December, before the outbreak of war.
“What the Government can control is the regulation and compliance costs it passes on to our farmers which continue to whittle away at profitability. National would support our farmers by reducing these regulations and compliance costs.
“That reduced profitability is felt in rural service towns across the country as people tighten their personal and business expenditure.
“While impressive commodity prices meet some of these rising costs, they don’t equate to impressive margins – they instead contribute to an increased government tax-take.
“A New Zealand government should be powering up, not squeezing down, on our primary sector right when we need it the most.”
If it hadn’t been for the primary sector over the last 2 years of the ‘pandemic’, our country would be economically dead right now. They have been the hand that fed us. Wellington public servant goldfish bowl dwellers, in their ignorant and smug security, know nothing about the realities of what makes New Zealand tick.
National has said little or nothing about Japhomet’s pasture to pine policy, and I have have (reluctantly) come to the conclusion that they support it. https://stovouno.org/2019/10/15/the-nz-government-strategy-to-destroy-the-farming-sector/
Where do they think the steadily growing population is going to feed from — or perhaps they want everyone to be a vegan like the Greens?
We must Stay Strong Reclaim the Line Hold the Line and punch the pm for biting the hands that fed her!!! Stand up and Fight.
The pasture to pine policy is real….and wrong.
Pine trees are toxic. Nothing else grows there except toadstools. Even they struggle.
Animals abort after time in pine areas.
It takes years for pine areas to recover and regenerate.
The greens have a policy to reduce stocking numbers 15%. Shaw is a snake.
I hear Labour/greens wish to reduce numbers 50%
That National does not speak out means they are on board, they agree.
To close down dairying is to bankrupt NZ
Vote New nation Party
Be patriotic, wave the flag. We are all in this together.
The political power (votes) is in Auckland, where most don’t give a toss about farming, yet farming is still the backbone of exports. Urban NZ has a growing ‘dis-connect’ with rural NZ.
Interestingly National leader Chris Luxon never mentioned agriculture in his recent STATE OF THE NATION release. Sad.
Christopher Luxon is as much a snake as Shaw and the rest. He cannot be trusted. New Zealanders should see by now that Ardern WANTS the country bankrupt – farmers will be crushed, big corporates will replace them. The NWO 2030 Agenda. This is the plan that has to be stopped. Wake up New Zealand and stop frittering round the edges. Protest needs to be BIG and effective. New Zealand needs to be wised up – and LARGE numbers of protesters is the only way to do it.