Federated Farmers: Farmers lead the way on covenants

Chris Allen

Farmers' environmental credentials have been under attack of late, but new research has highlighted just one way those who work the land also strive to look after it.

Federated Farmers welcomed a study by the University of Waikato Institute for Business Research that details the impact and costs of land placed under covenant via the QEII National Trust.

Gordon Stephenson, a Federated Farmers Dairy section national chairman in the 1970s, instigated the Trust and was the first to put a covenant over part of his land.

"Farmers have been front and centre in the activities of the QEII National Trust right from the start. We congratulate them on their 40th anniversary, and for commissioning this study," Feds environment and water spokesman Chris Allen said.

When Gordon and Celia Stephenson put a four hectare stand of native bush on their farm near Putaruru under QEII covenant for permanent protection, they were not to know that over the next 40 years, more than 4300 property owners would follow suit.

It's no surprise to us that 1000s of farmers have voluntarily opted to permanently protect
important wetland, bush and landscape sites

Chris Allen

The Institute for Business Research found that covenanting land owners, the majority of whom are farmers, are together spending an estimated $25 million of their own money every year to protect native species, forests, wetlands and other special areas in their QEII covenants.

In total, the land owners have made a financial commitment of between $1.1 and $1.3 billion in direct or lost opportunity costs establishing and maintaining land under covenant since the QE II Trust that Gordon Stephenson lobbied for was set up in 1977.

"The survey showed land surrounding 69 per cent of survey respondents' covenanted sites is used for grazing. While not all of the covenanted land would be suitable for farming, it's no surprise to us that thousands of farmers have voluntarily opted to permanently protect important wetland, bush and landscape sites, and to forgo revenue from it," Chris said.

"These special sites have even more protection than national parks. The QEII covenants cannot be revoked by subsequent land owners."