Marton farmer Laura Morrison elected new Federated Farmers Whanganui president

Laura Morrison says the recent free trade agreement with India is "a huge win".

Federated Farmers Whanganui’s new president aims to make primary industries less of a “political football”.

Laura Morrison takes over from Ben Fraser, who was elected to Horizons Regional Council last year.

She and husband Richard Morrison run The Gullies near Marton, a 270ha sheep and beef farm with about 70ha of native bush.

It was in farmers’ best interests to look after their land, operate sustainably and care for their animals, Morrison said.

“Agriculture has become a bit of a political football in New Zealand over the last decade, which has been frustrating for farmers.

“I want to see more listening going on, rather than everyone fighting for their corner.

“People are definitely closer than we think.”

Morrison, who spent 10 years with Federated Farmers Manawatū-Rangitīkei, said the environmental aspect of farming needed to be balanced with the need to produce food in perpetuity.

While some thought Federated Farmers was aligned with one or two political parties, she had “been in the room with all colours of the house”.

“It’s not just about economics, and it’s not just about protecting agriculture in that traditional blue [National Party] sense.

“We need to look at rural communities, rural health and understanding the social aspects of how and why we farm.

“That will only galvanise the apolitical aspect of our organisation.”

She said rugged hill country farms made up much of Federated Farmers’ Whanganui membership base and that meant a greater threat of full forestry conversions.

Laura and Richard Morrison operate The Gullies farm near Marton. Photo / Florence Charvin

“At Feds, we are agnostic around land use. Obviously, anything we advocate for, we really don’t want to be encroaching on the individual’s property rights.

“In saying that, farming is how we earn money for this country. At the moment, we produce enough food for around 42 million people.”

Last month, New Zealand and India signed a free trade agreement which will eliminate tariffs on sheep meat and wool.

Before the deal, a 33% tariff applied to sheep meat going to India.

Morrison said the deal was “a huge win”.

“And New Zealand beef is in a really good space. With the likes of the dairy beef initiative, rubber is really hitting the road.”

Earlier this year, the Government announced a $20.9 million Dairy Beef Opportunities programme, aimed at growing the country’s dairy-beef sector, with strategies including enhanced calf breeding, rearing and finishing, and increasing the proportion of calves entering the system.

She hoped the current geopolitical situation and its effect on fuel prices and fertiliser availability had not caught farmers by surprise.

“Because of the environmental discussions that have been going on, a lot of high-performing farmers have already been adjusting their systems and working out where they can afford to use alternative methods around fertiliser.

“At the end of the day, we want to sustain producing food from our land and that includes looking after our soils.”

Morrison said she was still getting her “feet under the desk” at the Whanganui branch but wanted to see the region flourish and prosper.

“Farmers are always thinking, researching and innovating.

“We just need to bring more people together and try to get more alignment across our farming and political spectrum when it comes to primary industries.”

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily Whanganui District Council.