It seems farmers are on a continuous treadmill of red tape and ever-increasing compliance just in order to farm. This is a worldwide trend.
Just like King Canute could not hold back the tide, Federated Farmers cannot hold back the tide of regulation, but it is our job to ensure any regulation that gets through is sensible, practical and affordable for farmers.
It is our job to ensure unnecessary, unworkable and scientifically unjustifiable regulation is stopped in its tracks and we do much of that through our constant advocacy.
Pressure for regulation does not just come from within New Zealand but also from abroad. The countries we trade with often add to our compliance costs.
The World Trade Organisation was set up to mitigate unfair trade rules and ensure any requirements are based on evidence - that is they need to be sensible, practical and affordable.
Some countries try to get around the rule by applying restrictions known as non-tariff barriers. These are far more subtle than a tariff, which is simply a charge at the border to restrict the amount of product coming into the country, or at least make it less competitive than local produce.
A non-tariff barrier is a technical rule (often dressed up as science) which has the same effect.
For example, New Zealand has taken Indonesia to the WTO and won a case relating to restrictive licensing rules for meat and horticultural products.
The WTO ruled the measures were simply an attempt to restrict the volume of imports.
However, we have seen the Trump administration saying it may ignore WTO rulings. It has also pulled out of the Trans Pacific Partnership and is threatening to renegotiate other agreements.
A step back to isolationism and protectionism is a threat to our ability to trade and may see unnecessary compliance sheeted back to New Zealand farmers simply to keep the trade doors open.
That is why we welcomed the government's trade strategy and increased investment in our trade negotiating capability, which was announced recently. It is something we have called for, and the government has listened.
Regulation is necessary in the right place but we need to be constantly on the lookout for compliance rules which are unnecessary, unworkable and scientifically unjustifiable.