[upnorthkyosa]

How is farming done in NZ? Are most farms like the giant industrial factories we have here? Or are they smaller and more family orientated? Do they focus on using sustainable agricultural practices?

[ruthyroo]

This is purely MHO, garnered from working in planning in rural NZ...

Farming is far from sustainable here - if by that you mean environmentally sustainable. NZ is one of the only 'developed' countries that relies principally on agricultural and primary production for its economic well-being, and you don't achieve that by trading off productivity for environmentally friendly farming methods. Also take into account that farmers here receive no subsidies - unlike in the UK / Europe where at least some environmentally friendly farming practices are subsidised by grants etc.

Large scale farming here is very very intensive - the stocking ratios for cattle and sheep are higher than anything I recall seeing in the UK. I have been told that this has increased greatly over recent years as costs have risen and profits declined. Environmentally, I think that the non-sustainable farming practices are now coming round to bite NZ on the bum... for a country that prides itself on being clean and green (and depends on this image to sell its wares abroad) to turn its most treasured lakes into toxic pea soup as a result of uncontrolled nutrient run-off from dairy farms is pretty dumb. Despite water shortages and no clear idea of what the impacts are likely to be, farmers / landowners are daily converting from forestry to dairy on the Canterbury Plains. I think NZ is so tightly tied to this image of itself as a farming, rural nation that it can't countenance anything that restricts farmers in making as much profit as they can.

Ownership is mixed. There are lot of family farms, as well as bigger ones. Many of the big ones I think originated from former state owned enterprises and coops - i think that's how Fonterra came into being. Also a lot of land up north especially is owned by Maori trusts, many of whom farm it, so this is in shared ownership. You might be interested to know that the head of Federated Farmers (farming union, kinda) was recently in the news for berating the 'greenie agenda' that is (in his opinon) out to ruin farming in NZ.

[upnorthkyosa]

This is a major bummer. I was hoping that things would be more different over there then in the US. What gives me a little hope is that there is even discussion of the "greenie agenda". That does not happen over here. People don't want anything to stand in the way of their cheeseburgers. Also, its nice to see that family farms still exist. The gigantic industrial megafarm is the norm over here.

Is there alot of concern over environmental damage from bad agricultural practices? How are you guys fairing without subsidies?

[ruthyroo]

Hi John

I suspect that the sheer smallness of NZ limits the interest of big multi-national agricultural producers - it's just not economical for them to get involved here. However are a number of 'local' companies that operate at the national level and export in bulk e.g. Fonterra, Landcorp. There is some room for small producers to explore more sustainable methods of production, but they are of a scale that supplies farmer's markets rather than supermarkets. Farming in general is highly intensified, and that's not going to change. Also, given the low salaries of NZ'ers, not that many people can necessarily afford to shop for organics / farmer's markets - many people's budgets don't stretch beyond Pac n Save (pile em high sell em cheap).

The withdrawl of subsidies in the 1980's was, I have been told, a very traumatic time for NZ farming community. Farmer suicides went up and many smaller farms went under. And farms have been forced to become more productive since the subsidies were removed hence increasing stock numbers, amalgamation, reduced employment, etc etc.