Editorial: A fine line for farmers

Federated Farmers said yesterday 40 per cent of the country's dairy herd, close to six million stock, were in drought zones.

The country's dairy production for the year is heading south, but farmers are being told to make provision for pasture renewal now.

Such is the impact of the weather on the industry.

It is at times like this farmers are required to think outside the square. The answers, though, are sometimes controversial. In today's Waikato Farmer Madeline Rix-Trott, who farms at Waitetuna, dismisses as "just greed" a shelved application for battery farming in the South Island. Environment Canterbury was asked to give resource consent for the discharge of effluent from 18,000 cows in the Mackenzie Basin where stock would be confined to cubicles from March to October and allowed out for 12 hours a day from November to February.

Sources tell the Farmer they think it highly unlikely battery farming would be proposed for the Waikato.

"Home detention" for cows may be the norm in some countries, but it would not sit comfortably here. Farming practices, be they involving cows, chickens or pigs, tend to attract publicity and protest if they are regarded as being less than "green". There is no question the animal protection lobby would be up in arms if battery-farming for cows was approved, but for the company behind the plan, Southdown Holdings director Richard Peacocke claimed it was delaying the inevitable. He said stable-style farming was the way of the future if New Zealand was committed to environmentally sustainable practices.

Where Mr Peacocke played the green card, pig farmers play the compassion card in their reasoning behind keeping sows in cages. That argument does not wash with the animal protection groups. Notably, former pork poster boy Mike King did a public U-turn and began telling people not to buy pork because of the conditions they endured. The outcry has prompted a new code which should see sow crates gone by 2017.

The debate was centre stage earlier this week on a farm near Hamilton where Kevin Monks was, somewhat unfairly it would seem, targeted by John Darroch for no other reason than he was a pig farmer.

Darroch was arrested after spending one day chained to a silo and said he would do it again. Mr Monks noted on "any farm, anywhere, on any day, you'll find something that may not appeal to everybody".

Feeding New Zealand and providing products for an overseas market involves 32.4 million sheep, 11 million cattle, 1.2 million deer, 45,000 breeding sows and 3.2 million hens, according to recent figures. But the treatment of those animals can impact on international sales.

Former agricultural scientist Dr Clive Dalton made that point after going public with pictures of emaciated boners sent to the Morrinsville saleyards. The Pork Industry Board has dug its trotters in the sand over a new code for pigs, pledging to change but arguing economics in asking for more time. It can expect John Darroch-style protests to continue as a consequence.

- © Fairfax NZ News