Shooters urged to support farmers, lobby Fish & Game

Federated Farmers Chris Allen has some advice for hunting folk.

A Federated Farmers board member has used the start of the game bird season as an opportunity to shoot a few barbs at the Fish and Game Council.

Fish and Game issues licences for people hunting and fishing on farmers' land, and uses the proceeds to protect waterways that nurture the birds that hunters will be trying to shoot for the next two months.

In the course of that protection, Fish and Game took Horizons Regional Council to court in March, seeking a ruling around council rules on protecting water quality.

Mr Allen said Fish and Game was seeking a new definition of wetland in Hawke's Bay that would restrict farmers' ability to farm wet paddocks.

Many farmers are tired of being blamed for New Zealand's poor water quality, and they often say so - Mr Allen said it has been "open season" on them for the past few years.

He is asking the public to be grateful for access to farmland, lest the opportunity be lost by undermining farmers' generosity.

And he'd like town people to take on a share of responsibility for the state of New Zealand's water, and to recognise the effort farmers put in to creating and restoring wetland.

He would also like game bird hunters to lobby Fish and Game about its attitude to farmers.

"In some regions the Fish and Game licence revenue has been used to make the life of landowners more difficult. As a result, some Fish and Game licence holders may not face the same friendly welcome by their farmer friends this year," Mr Allen said.