Farm-gate protest over knotty issue

ROSE HARDING Brian Chambers will be tying an orange ribbon around his farm gates on Thursday.
Federated Farmers is asking farmers to tie orange ribbons around their road gates in a week-long protest at the Government's plan to open their farms to more public access, and Hawke's Bay farmers are backing the protest.
Mr Chambers, who farms next to the Tukituki River in Matangi Road, near Havelock North, believes the public should have access to significant waterways and he does not refuse anglers who ask his permission to get to the river though his farm.
"However, some people think that if you give permission once they think they have it ad infinitum."
He believes legislation might be needed to clarify access "but this broad-brush approach is not the answer. It will simply polarise people. There are lots of wrinkles to be ironed out".
His woolshed and stockyards are next to the river and he wants to be able to keep people and their dogs out when he has his sheep in this area.
He also fears having sheep smothered by being pushed into fences or into the river by uncontrolled dogs or mobs of stock being mixed by gates being left open.
The question of normal farm hazards such as an offal pit, machinery, or chemical-storage sheds is not addressed in the legislation.
"We can't tell people about these things if we don't know who is on our farms."
Federated Farmers spokesman Kevin Mitchell, who farms at Te Pohue, says he "will certainly" be putting orange ribbons on his gates.
He says the federation has "overwhelming support" for the campaign.
"The Government is legislating away our right to say who walks on our land."
He said farmers were protesting now because they had been trying to talk to the Government since last September.
"We had one unhelpful meeting with (Tukituki MP) Rick Barker who denied anything was afoot and cynically three days later the Government announced its plans."
He said the original access plan leaked to Federated Farmers allowed for guns, vehicles and dogs.
"We can apply to close off our farms at certain times of the year such as harvesting, lambing, calving and the autumn roar for deer farmers, but why should we have to pay to apply and put up signs closing our own farms?"
The Government had "totally ignored" the biosecurity issues, he said.
"We had a case in southern Hawke's Bay where a farmer had a whole line of cattle condemned at the works because of beef measles. It was tracked back to a farm visitor who defecated on a paddock."
"Surveys show 92 percent of farmers are happy to give access through their farms if they are asked. It ain't broke, it doesn't need fixing."
However, Fish and Game New Zealand says the action is "arrogant, selfish and anti-Kiwi".
Spokesman Bryce Johnson says the farmers are trying to stop public access to public resources.
"This an extreme action and it will alienate the public. All the Government is trying to do is find a way to complete the Queen's Chain along the remaining 30 percent of waterways that don't have one in a manner which is fair to both the community and landowners and here is a selfish section of the community trying to deny our unique heritage.
"The land access reforms do not remove land form the title of farms or affect normal farming operations.
Trampers, canoeists, rafters, big-game hunters, four-wheel drive enthusiasts, anglers and mums and dads who want to take the kids for a picnic by the river should be up in arms at this selfish and alarmist grandstanding by Federated Farmers.