Good protest farmers. Now let’s make progress.

This article first appeared in the Sunday Star Times on July 18, 2021.

Well done farmers. The first Groundswell protest was well organised and dignified.

We got the message.

You are under pressure and feel side-lined. You are being told how to farm by Wellington bureaucrats trying to legislate the way to a greener future. 

It’s a future you want too – clean rivers, vibrant communities, thriving biodiversity, climate mitigation and adaption. For many of you, this journey started years ago. From the 4,700 native bush blocks quietly regenerating under covenant, to catchment groups taking responsibility for their waterways and the sector emissions reduction plan He Waka Eke Noa - farmer-led progress is happening. 

It is also true that farming must carry a hefty weight when it comes to our green transition. But this is a call-to-action for all of us, so when will townies feel the pinch too? 

On Friday, you found your voice and remembered that amongst all this change, you are a strong community with influence. This is a good thing. The real test now, is where to from here? 

This renewed sense of energy and possibility must be channelled into accelerating change, but more on your terms. Generally, the policies you protested against, are right. They represent the direction of travel for farming and society as a whole. They are severe only because the last round of farmer protests (the ‘tractor-at-the-beehive’ incident) saw that energy and influence channelled into protecting the past - rather than designing a workable, future-proofed and farmer-led transition. 

Amid this debate, we all need to take a step back and recognise that the real threat to farming is not new policy. It’s floods that rip up paddocks, drought that dries pasture and new diseases that kill crops and animals. We are on track for a difficult, painful future that we need to confront together. 

So how do we channel Friday’s energy and influence towards progress? We need a collaborative farmer-government strategy that leverages each other’s strengths. Farmers should focus on their farms and government should focus on the incentives and collective initiatives that enable change. 

Government, stop telling farmers how to farm. Instead, start building the NZ Inc, high value food brand that uses data and storytelling to show the world how we farm. Follow Ireland’s example. Their government-led Origin Green brand framework defines sustainable farming across nine benchmarks (like biodiversity, animal welfare, energy and people) and certifies farmer progress. Accredited farmers see their products sold under a national sustainable foods brand for a premium. Design carrots, don’t wield sticks. 

Likewise, farmers need to re-frame their role in society. The size of the sector, your world-leading practices and your support through Covid doesn’t give you a free pass. It makes you leaders. Friday’s widespread support is an opportunity to move the message from ‘no’ to ‘let’s go’. Here is a starter for 10. What about a national tree planting day, where farmers welcome Kiwis back to the land and we all have a go at the world tree planting record (currently held by Ethiopia at 350 million). 

I work in the farming sector because I believe that the solutions to our great challenges won’t come from technology, but biology. We know that our farms can sequester carbon and grow healthy whole food amongst regenerating landscapes and rivers. 

The lesson from Friday is that farmers need to lead us to that future - while government must ask, how can we help?