Appendix 2: Summary of Farmer Observations made during the Interviews
Summary of Farmer Observations, Opinions and Concerns Voiced in Relation to Rural Families and Communities.
Farm size and scale:
- Small farms are now overcapitalised
- an increase in subdivision of farms into 'lifestyle' holdings
- neighbouring properties have become too highly priced to buy for sheep farming. This includes bare land after house and improvements have been subdivided off into smaller title.
Land purchase by foreign investors
- Undesirable to have absentee foreign owners purchasing land
- the land price can be inflated above productive value to other farmers in the district preventing them from purchasing - expanding.
Succession
- Impossible for parents to gift farm on as in past as they now rely on full property value for own retirement, ie their superannuation fund
- planning required for younger generation to enter farming
- how can they purchase a sheep farm?
Young farmers - farm labour
- Few are training
- a real shortage of single workers and married couples
- how can they realistically expect to purchase a farm?
- average age of farmers is getting too high.
Dangerous chemicals amnesty
- Many farm sheds contain now banned chemicals (eg DDT)
- how can these chemicals be disposed of? An amnesty scheme is suggested.
Taxation Systems
- The present terminal and provisional system does not suit farming businesses.
- major problems with the livestock tax scheme - especially concerning increasing stock numbers.
Women in Agriculture (WAG)
- Funding cuts are proving detrimental to WAG group activities.
Government Intervention
- Although sought and appreciated at the time, in the long term only cash handouts are of real advantage, ie low interest loans only give false sense of security and in the end result in increased debt (eg SMP, low interest loans, US etc.).
- The less intervention the better so farmers make own decisions to Suit individual situations.
How can we farm without subsidies... when the rest of the world, our trading partners, are not totally free markets?
Field days
- Field days have played an important role to introduce new technology.
| © MAF 1994 | ||
| MAFnet Help | Important Disclaimer |
Contact for Enquiries
Senior Policy Analyst
Natural Resources Group
Christchurch
Phone: 03 943 1705
Contact this person
