Farmers using billboards to oppose land sale to forestry

FARMS NOT FORESTS: Farmers in the region have “voiced” their opposition to the sale of more farmland to forestry through a series of billboards around the district and in Wairoa. Whakarau Road farmer Neil Henderson is pictured with one of them near Matawai. Picture supplied

A SERIES of billboards showing increasing concern among farmers about the sale of farmland for forestry are going up around Matawai, Makorori, Muriwai, Waipaoa and Wairoa.

Farmers and businesses have funded the billboards featuring a simple message opposed to farmland going into forestry.

There will be a total of nine pairs of billboards in the region.

Matawai Farm Discussion Group decided to fund the erection of a number of them around the Gisborne area, and Wairoa has joined in.

“Grassroots farmers are getting increasingly anxious over the proposals in the Zero Carbon Bill,” said Matawai group member and Whakarau Road farmer Neil Henderson.

“I enlisted the support of Nuhaka farmer Sefton Alexander to spread the message further in the Wairoa area.”

Mr Henderson said the subject was a regular item of discussion at formal and informal gatherings.

“One concern is around the proposal to impose a charge on livestock emissions that, despite the oft-repeated claim they make up almost half this country’s total emissions, is not backed by sound science.

“The consequence will be massive economic pain for no environmental gain,” Mr Henderson said.

“The other concern is the area of farmland being converted to forestry for carbon farming.”

He referred to 8000 hectares of farmland around Wairoa bought for forestry this year.

“That amounts to over 6 percent of Wairoa’s farmland. If this happens on a national scale at just half that rate there will be no sheep and beef farms left by 2050.”

Mr Henderson said 50 Shades of Green was formed in the Wairarapa earlier this year to help address this problem.

“They have produced billboard designs to carry their message. Now we’ve done the same.”