Fed Farmers lashes Greens

Fed Farmers have said:

Federated Farmers Taranaki is concerned the Green Party’s scaremongering over rehabilitated landfarms is putting at risk New Zealand’s number one merchandise export.

“Politicians and political parties have a higher duty when it comes to what they say or do,” says Harvey Leach, Federated Farmers Taranaki provincial president.

“The Green Party media release I saw is like going into a packed theatre and yelling fire. I think we are hitting new lows in politics when the sum total of a political party’s research effort is a television news segment.”

We see this scaremongering all too often.

“Unlike that party, Federated Farmers has asked questions and knows there is a double testing regime in place for rock cuttings and clays.”

“Taranaki Regional Council is incredibly rigorous in what it does. The Council tests ground conditions to ensure things are as they should be. Fonterra further tests for contaminants when it collects milk to ensure integrity of the entire milk supply chain.”

“The science is clear; there is no issue here. Of course you don’t want the truth to get in the way of a bad story.”

The anti-science party strikes again.

“Politicians misrepresenting the truth is low-ball stuff.  They are calling into question the integrity of a major regional council which is the most experienced we have in dealing with oil and gas.”

“It also puts at risk our $12 billion dairy export industry by questioning the integrity of our major dairy exporters. We are being ankle-tapped by politicians who get paid by our hard work and that of other hard working kiwis.  We deserve much better.”

“Farmers will be predictably disappointed in the Green Party because they seem willing to throw decent hard working people under a bus to get a cheap headline.  It is nasty politics spun at its worst,” Mr Leach concluded. 

Strong words. But they are the ones who suffer from the scaremongering.

Also Stuff reports:

The Green Party is calling on Fonterra to stop taking milk from Taranaki landfarms where oil and fracking waste has been spread and covered in Taranaki.

“People don’t want to drink milk from cows grazed on pasture with petroleum industry waste beneath it,” Green Party Co-leader Russel Norman said.

But regional council spokesman Gary Bedford said the claims made in the TV3 coverage appeared to be either confused or deliberately misleading.

“I’m not sure what technical competence Russel Norman has to challenge agricultural guidelines and say they are not up to it.”

He said landfarms were quarantined and then underwent extensive testing before cattle were put back on them to graze for milking.

Cattle were never grazed on a landfarm that was still in use, he said.

I can answer that question. Dr Norman has a PhD. His PhD was on the Alliance Party.