Farmers voice needed

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 264, 22 November 1988, Page 8

Farmers voice needed

Farmers must be given a direct voice in the fight against agricultural pests, otherwise the nationally co-ordinated programme to combat rabbits and Tbinfected possums will collapse. That's the warning to a vital thing for New

be given to the Local Government Commission by the APDC (the Agricultural Pests Destruction Council), the national body overseeing the fight against rural pests. The APDC is concerned that agricultural pest destruction is being split among the new regional authorities proposed by the Local Government Commission. The fear is that a Bovine Tb epidemic could sweep through New Zealand, severely damaging our export trade. The APDC prefers a special body responsible for pest control throughout the country. But it believes that coordinated control can still be achieved under the new regional authorities - provided farmers are allowed a direct say. APDC chairman Mr Grahame Williams said that the new Rural Services committees which must be set up by the regional authorities - should have a predominant farmer representation. "Pest control is such

Zealand's farm economy that we must have farmers giving a practical point of view, when decisions are made. "If the Rural Services Committees become dominated by lawyers, accountants or technical people and the like, they will be unable to grasp the real problems that farmers face. "We need farmers on the committees, voting on the things that affect them. In that way, the committees would be truly accountable to the people w h o s e livelihoods were at stake." Mr Williams said the SPDC - backed by Federated Farmers - would be making submissions to the Local Government Commission to ensure such representation. Meantime, the pest destruction movement is heartened, he said, by the Commission's recommendations that Rural Services Committees be granted responsibility for pest destruction work, under the terms of the Pest Destruction Act.