Dairy Alert is sponsored by PGG Wrightson, and is designed to update members on current issues and to encourage you to contact Federated Farmers Dairy Section’s executive or policy staff if you have any views on the topics raised or any other relevant matters.

The Price of Success

While New Zealanders have always been quick to recognise success on the sporting field, there has always been a reluctance to celebrate success in the business world. Our rugby players are heroes and make the front page of our newspapers but our world class scientists and business people struggle for that same idol status.

The dairy industry is one of the great success stories of this nation. An industry built on hard work and good science; a leader in the world that others have unashamedly copied.

Today our dairy industry is under attack from the very people who are benefiting from the prosperity that we have, and are continuing to create. Some special interest groups have chosen us as their target to raise their profile. They are happy to enjoy the benefits of strong economic growth from the dairy industry which enables money to be directed to protect our environment.

They demonise dairying as dirty and a major cause of pollution, but fail to acknowledge the content of the 2007 Environment Report which says that all intensified land use, including the effects of urbanisation is of equal concern. The reality is that the dairy industry has responded well to the call for improved environmental performance.

No other sector of New Zealand society has ever acted as speedily as the dairy industry to improve environmental performance. The financial and human resources that farmers have devoted to this are a testimony to their commitment to improving environmental outcomes. Environmental sustainability has always been a cornerstone of the dairy industry and our ability to embrace and invest in new technology has been the hallmark of our success.

Never before have the farmers of this country needed Federated Farmers as much as they do now to defend their rights to farm their land in a responsible and sustainable way. 

AGM and Conference Coming - Federated Farmers is in the process of planning conference and AGMs. It will follow the pattern of last July's One Event Conference with the different industry groups of Dairy, Meat & Fibre, and Grains, all holding parallel AGMs and conferences followed by the National AGM and Conference. One Event will be held in Christchurch Tuesday, 23 June to Thursday, 26 June 2008.

Council Records - In February, Federated Farmers Dairy Section held a successful council meeting, focussing on environmental constraints, and climate change.

Horizon's ‘One Plan' is an example of a regional council's proposed environmental policy which could restrict how dairy farmers can farm, and this was discussed by Federated Farmers' policy staff member, Julie Ireland, and the Dairy Section's chairman of the Manawatu/Rangitikei province, Andrew Hoggard.

Stewart Ledgard, from AgResearch, showed the work done on tools available to help farmers to improve their environmental footprint, and Terry Heiler, from Irrigation New Zealand, spoke on growing tensions with the availability of water.

The meeting then went on to look at climate change, with speakers Caroline Saunders (Lincoln University), Mike Jebson (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry), Warren Mason (Dairy Australia), Beverley Wallace (Australian Dairy Farmers) and Kimberly Crewther (Fonterra). A lively panel discussion rounded off the session.

Remits Passed - Two remits were passed at the council meeting:

Federated Farmers Dairy Section supports the Animal Health Board's proposal to eradicate TB.

Federated Farmers Dairy Section supports the levy vote proposed by DairyNZ. However it remains the view of the Dairy Section's council that new directors should be elected by farmers when the opportunity arises in October to ensure that conflicts of interests are significantly reduced and farmer representation is reinstated onto the board of DairyNZ.

Andrew Ferrier (CEO, Fonterra), Tim Mackle (CEO DairyNZ) and William McCook (CEO Animal Health Board) also addressed the meeting.

This council meeting was the culmination of four days spent travelling around farms in the West Coast and Canterbury areas accompanied by the Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF) and the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.

My View of the West Coast Tour - By someone who was there
The West Coast part of the tour was filled with interesting challenges of both the physical and intellectual kind. We viewed flipping, humping and hollowing, pancake rocks, penguin crossings (although none crossed when we were there), and the fine art of meat carving. The latter was done with a degree of finesse which is now rarely witnessed in the culinary world.

Everyone had a great time and much was learnt about farming in areas of high rainfall. New technology such as flipping has certainly given much more scope for increasing production both on existing pastures and land previously thought not suitable for anything other than raising rushes and mosquitoes.

On the way to Greymouth a detour was taken down the coastline. I think it was so the Australians might feel a little closer to home and possibly even catch a glimpse of the West Island over the Tasman Sea.

After touring the farms, delegates were able to relax as they took the TranzAlpine Express back to Christchurch.

Canterbury Farm Tour - By policy advisor Ann Thompson
The following day saw even more people visiting farms as we were joined by representatives from MAF, Ministry for the Environment and the Department of Labour, who were all keen to learn about the issues facing farmers. This time we visited the site of the Synlait Milk milk-powder plant, which should come into production in August 2008, and one of Synlait's farms at Dunsandel.

After almost playing cricket (we forgot the bat and the ball) on the park at Rakaia, we visited Federated Farmers Dairy Section's vice-chairman Willy Leferink's farm. Willy had lined up a water expert and a nutrient expert to talk to us, and we admired his cows and lush pasture.

Thanks to all the staff at Landcorp, Synlait and Brook Farm, who showed off their industry so well.

New Name, New Look

Federated Farmers has adjusted the names of its seven industry groups to create a clearer link to New Zealand's premier rural lobby group. The changes, approved by the Federated Farmers' National Board, will ensure farmers, the media, external stakeholders, and the wider public clearly understand that the seven industry groups are part of Federated Farmers. Dairy Farmers of New Zealand is now Federated Farmers Dairy.

RMA Action

The Dairy Industry's Resource Management Act Policy Guidelines will be released by the end of March, the final draft being endorsed at the Federated Farmers Dairy Section's Council meeting in February. This project has been led by Federated Farmers with Fonterra support and funding by DairyNZ. It has received a high level of support from dairy farmers and industry policy advocates who assisted in its development.

The guidelines have two parts:

A set of overarching principles that the industry believes all resource management polices and plans should recognise and provide for.
A process for assessing resource management policies and plans against dairy industry criteria.
It is intended that industry policy advocates and farmers will use the guidelines to ensure there is a consistent and coordinated approach to resource management policy and as a result achieve better policy outcomes.

Also being developed is a user-friendly checklist to assist even those who have little or no experience in resource management planning in providing responses to resource management polices and plans that fairly reflect the issue facing their farm and the dairy industry.

There will be a limited number of hard copies of the guidelines available but it will be on the DairyNZ and Federated Farmers' websites. For more information contact Sally Millar - sally.millar@dairynz.co.nz or Grant Kettle gkettle@fedfarm.org.nz 

Health Check For Farm - DairyNZ is holding workshops on the ‘Farm Enviro Walk' which is a practical, quick, easy-to-use self-assessment tool to help farmers perform an environmental health check of their farm and identify potential problems and practices that may need improving. It focuses on nutrient and waste management, asking questions about farmer's fertiliser management, effluent management, and other farm practices that affect the amount of nutrients and bugs that get into waterways and ground water. The first round of field days will be held in Canterbury, Southland, Waikato, BOP and Northland in April and May. Farmers will receive details about venue and times over the next few weeks. For further information call 0800 4 DAIRYNZ or talk to your DairyNZ consulting officer.

Danger in Farmer Apathy - Greater accountability for return on investment and the need to leverage greater funding from external sources are two of the key themes emerging from the DairyNZ consultation round with dairy farmers. The round of over thirty consultation meetings around the country in February attracted nearly 500 dairy farmers. Feedback from farmers is that they fully support the levy but that they want greater accountability for the investments that are made.

DairyNZ chairman John Luxton believes one of the biggest dangers to the future of the levy and the investments is farmer apathy. He says farmers need to take the vote seriously and exercise their right to vote. Closing date for submissions is March 14. Farmers can email their comments to levyconsultation@dairynz.co.nz, fax them to 07 858 3751, call 0800 4 DAIRYNZ or post them to DairyNZ. Farmers can also make submissions directly to the Minister of Agriculture.

With conditions being so dry over the majority of the country most dairy cattle have been fed below maintenance, and with the level of production achieved it is a real credit to both the genetics and the management of this stock. However, many need to quickly focus on next season's winter feed stocks. This is especially so for those herds that have been sold forward with respect to the condition scores expected on the 31 May. Mark Dodd, Dairy Project PGG Wrightson.

If there are any issues you would like to discuss, contact Federated Farmers on 0800 327 646 or contact your local chairman or one of the executive team as listed below.

Federated Farmers Dairy Section, PO Box 715, Wellington 6140; Tel: 04 473 7269, Fax: 04 473 1081, Website: www.fedfarm.org.nz

Staff Contacts
Policy adviser - Ann Thompson, 0800 327 646, 04 494 9191, athompson@fedfarm.org.nz

Travel administrator, 0800 327 646, travel@fedfarm.org.nz

Executive Contacts
Chair - Frank Brenmuhl, 03 318 1565, 027 224 009, brenmuhl@xnet.co.nz

Vice-chair - Lachlan McKenzie, 07 332 3440, 021 382 442, heatherm@travelmanagers.co.nz

Vice-chair - Willy Leferink, 03 307 2666, 021 796 037, legro@xtra.co.nz

Executive - John Bluett, 07 825 9709, azz@xtra.co.nz

Executive - Rod Pemberton, 03 203 8080, 027 295 5129, fearmhar@xtra.co.nz

Sharemilker Representative - Malcolm Piggott, 07 888 0000, 027 631 7843, malrose@xtra.co.nz