DairyNZ chairman defends his industry

The dairy industry was doing all it could to improve the image of dairying, said DairyNZ chairman John Luxton at DairyNZ's annual meeting.

DairyNZ is the industry-good organisation, representing about 14,000 dairy farmers, who pay about 3.6 cents every kilogram of milk solids in a levy to the research and farm advisory body. For an average farm, that is about $300 each month.

DairyNZ's income is about $60 million a year.

Mr Luxton talked to about 30 people at the annual meeting in Palmerston late last week.

One question from the floor was about the poor image dairying has environmentally and dairy farmers who are often seen as poor employers.

"I used to be proud to say I was a dairy farmer, now I have to wear a hoodie and I'm afraid to say I am a corporate dairy farmer," the questioner said.

Mr Luxton said while most dairy farmers operated within their consents, there were a few well publicised cases of those who flouted environmental laws.

"New Zealand farmers are world class, and world leaders; unfortunately, there are a few that haven't moved forward and we have to exert peer pressure."

There has been criticism of Fonterra, which has continued to pick up milk from farms which are a long way from meeting environmental standards.

"I believe the industry is doing enough. One of the problems has been that there has been a rundown in the skillset to provide the answers to many of the problems farming now faces."

And getting more people on the ground was something DairyNZ saw as part of its challenge, Mr Luxton said.

"New Zealand doesn't have some of the resources, the people, or the science behind some of the decisions that are coming through from the regulators."

He believed while the encouragement carrot was vital to get farmers to do the right thing, the stick, to push along the last few, was also vital.

But Mr Luxton said people were often unaware they were offending because of the use of the changed parameters.

"Rules have changed, society's expectations have changed, and the intensity of the industry has changed."

While most did the right thing by the environment, there were a few who grabbed the headlines, who failed to measure up on environmental expectations, he said.

"There are now 50 per cent more dairy farmers than there were 10 years ago, and that's had a huge economic impact on New Zealand – more jobs in dairying, in the service sector, and more money earned overseas. A couple of years ago, a third of New Zealand's exports came out of dairying."

People often didn't realise the positive impact farming had had on them, Mr Luxton said.

Dairy farmers have voted to retain sitting DairyNZ directors Alistair Body and Barbara Kuriger on the board organisation.

A third position, created by the retirement of long-standing industry good director Jim van der Poel, has been filled by Kevin Ferris.

Two of the region's hopefuls for the board, Ben Allomes and Mary Cooper, missed out.

- © Fairfax NZ News