Budget 2025: Agriculture needs protection and investment – Dr Jacqueline Rowarth
Of note is that the primary sector, which is responsible for the bulk of the new money coming into the country from exports, was not given its own Budget package.
The Green Party has offered its alternative budget.
Analysis by The New Zealand Initiative’s Dr Oliver Hartwich has revealed that the utopian vision for a different country “is based on ludicrous assumptions and bad economics”.
Dr Hartwich explains that the cornerstone of the Green revenue plan, a wealth tax raising $72.5 billion over four years, is optimistic.
Germany, France and Sweden abandoned similar taxes because of capital flight, tax avoidance and administrative nightmares.
Wait?
WHAT!
The Farmers aren’t happy with the budget?
They aren’t happy with the irrigation slush fund John Key created after privatising our hydro electricity for them?
They aren’t happy with not having methane included as emissions?
They aren’t happy they can now take 20% off that next tractor purchase?
Farmers are like Feminists and Students in that they are never fucking happy!
And they are using Free Market NZ Initiative Zealots to make their points?
Farmers should be furious at the manner Banks forced many into debt for Dairy intensification.
Farmers should be furious at the Farmland to pine tree changes.
Farmers should be furious at the low prices the supermarket duopoly locks them into.
What Farmers have little ground for sympathy over however is bitching they didn’t get anything in the budget when they have all the political muscle and are using hard right fee market zealots to back them up.
Here’s the truth, despite all the Farmers screaming here is no climate change, they know they are lying.
They are at the coalface and know the seasons are fucked up.
They know the extreme weather events are getting worse.
And they are freaking out that the urban green movement will be unforgiving when their farming lies are exposed.
There is a terrible reckoning coming for the Farming movement and their political spin drs.
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NZ used to make billions selling wool ,now we tip it in the gully at the back of the farm .The sheep farmer that is going broke because wool is worthless then sells to the highest bidder before the bank takes it over .That farmer then moans because the next owner plants trees because they are more profitable than fly blown sheep .The sad fact is neither owner has added any value to the raw commodity they grow on the same piece of land ..We can no longer sell all of our water because it is being polluted more each day .Farmers are never happy because they never have a consistant product or amount of that product to sell .The last government spent millions getting trade deals in the UK and EU and the farmers are hard pressed to fill the extra 10000 tons of meat just for the EU . still they moan and want some one to think for them .
In the last 50 years you would think that a flock of farmers and a government prepared to plan and invest could have created some lucrative well marketed new products made from ‘green’ coarse wool.
Income from commodities like wool and milk powder, needs to be taxed at a higher rate than value added, branded, final consumer ag products. Not talking about some minute percentage interest group levy but 50 percent higher income tax to incentivise the required research and capital investment.
While I’m not a prophet I suspect that the inevitable result of the recently proposed RMA changes will be pollution and disease that makes animal products increasingly unsafe to eat. It’s the same penny wise pound foolish thinking that had Willis burn almost a billion dollars on the Ferry replacement for a worse result. Those lucky enough to have a decent garden will have some protection but it will be tough times for those already under pressure by our inequable society.
Wow the farmers are for once genuinely terrified of a real Budget. They have been milking us for too long. I say unleash the wealth hording Kraken on them and let their screams for once be justified.
If you think farmers are milking you rather than propping up your income you don’t understand the country you live in. Without the farmers it’s empty shelves at The Warehouse.
It’s a long time coming and that reckoning hasn’t come yet.
So what price will butter go to now with farmers complaining, given they are rorting us at $10 a block?
I saw a 500gramm Block of Pam’s butter at a supermarket on special for $6.49
Last week
Trying to reconcile the alignment of intensive farming with severe changing environment elements, the global market place, despot leaders like Trump and idiots like our own abysmal excuse for a govt it’s no wonder farmers are totally out of their depth. Farmers use to be a widely respected section of the community, the backbone of the country etc, but they have fallen prey to the mantra that bigger is better, greed is good and the neoliberal economics that requires farming to run on steroids. Support your local farmers market I say.
Sweet Jesus! Did anyone listen to RNZ this morning to hear the head of Federated Farmers bitching about environmental protection and rejoicing about the RMA mutilation?
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018989400/federated-farmers-on-changes-to-rma
Contrast that to the later interview with Dr Mike Joy.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018989411/ecologist-on-proposed-changes-to-freshwater-regulations
Some these pirates really need to think hard about their social licence to operate. Never mind that they pollute our whenua while charging us international export prices. I assure you that the top quality stuff goes overseas and we have the leftovers.
And they will be busy exploiting immigrant labour.
Bastards.
Their only interest is in themselves like Bob troll.
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