Farm to forest conversion ban loopholes must be closed: Fed Farmers

Toby Williams, chair of the Federated Farmers' meat and wool council.

Federated Farmers has welcomed the Government’s commitment to halt the locking up of high-quality farmland in carbon forest, but says loopholes remain.

Whāngārā farmer and Feds meat and wool chair Toby Williams said the announcement from the Government that it was still on track to ban full farm-to-forest conversions was good news.

Several of those had happened in Tairāwhiti, he said.

“If we keep losing communities to carbon forestry, we’ll be left with towns without schools, sports clubs or doctors,” Williams said. “It sucks the life out of our rural communities.

“Farmers are also increasingly reporting that carbon farming brings with it other issues like out-of-control pig and deer numbers, wildfire risk, and rampant wilding pines.

“A lot of properties seem to be planted without any intention to ever harvest. They’re just chasing a quick carbon farming buck.”

Although pleased with the coming restrictions, Williams said questions remained over their effectiveness at banning carbon farming.

“While we welcome the commitment by the Government, it is becoming clear that foresters are quickly looking for any loopholes that remain,” he said.

“The idea that buying seedlings before December 2024 is an intention to plant is an absolute joke. The Government needs to close this loophole that is being exploited.”

Williams said if a forester did not own the land, they could not have had any real commitment to plant it.

“Having a contract on seedlings should not be accepted.

“We’re also hearing stories of farmland being bought for conversion to forestry with the intention of on-selling to foreign investors to get around overseas investment rules.

“If the Government are serious about supporting our farmers and rural communities, they need to move quickly to firmly close these loopholes.”