Call for farmers to join Fish & Game: 'It's not a takeover'

Federated Farmers members are being encouraged to join the very organisation that calls their job dirty dairying.

They're being asked to think about being elected to the regional boards of the environmental and hunting group Fish and Game.

Federated Farmers president Katie Milne says it's not a takeover, but it's about fairness.

She says it's mostly because a lot of fishing and hunting spots are on their members' farms.

Milne told Larry Williams on Newstalk ZB the member base between the two groups overlapped and their interests intersected.

"A lot of access and goodwill comes off farmers' land, and I think it's important to have a bit of a balanced view going on there, it does tend to feel like, lately, that it's all getting a bit pick on the farmer."

Milne is concerned that if Fish and Game and farmers don't co-operate, it could lead to "people not getting the access they need to go and enjoy the great outdoors in New Zealand," an essential connection to the land which she believes will help stop the "urban-rural disconnect," from widening.

Also in this interview: Katie Milne talks to Larry Williams about the impact of new Fonterra cattle feeding rules around Palm Kernel Extract (PKE).