General questions
1. What does sustainability mean to you?
2. How would you define the term “environmental practices” on-farm? (What does it mean to you?)
3. a) Do you subscribe to the statement ‘you can’t be green if you’re in the red’? b) If so why, if not, why not?
Sheep and beef farms
4. What would you consider are the main environmental impacts sheep and beef farmers are having on the environment?
5. For a sheep and beef farm, what would best practice water quality management look like to you?
(after this question is answered, inform interviewee that questions have been asked of farmers around riparian planting and fencing of waterways, stocking policies on wet soils, erosion control, managing soil type and contour and nutrient
management)
6. What do you think limits sheep and beef farmers from undertaking more environmental practices?
7. What do you think would help them undertake more environmental practices? 8. What would you consider to be the main driving forces for farmers to improve
the environmental impact of their farming systems? Information transfer
9. What and where do you think the major weaknesses are in the process of getting information on environmental management systems to farmers? 10. Which individuals or organisations are best placed to provide information to
farmers on environmental management systems?
11. What do you think is a realistic time frame for the majority of farmers to adopt environmental practices?
Process
12. What does economic growth mean to you?
13. What are your views on growing the economy and protecting the environment at the same time?
14. Is the Government’s economic growth agenda achievable while still protecting waterways? Specifically the target of lifting exports from 30% of GDP to 40% by 2025.
15. a) Do you think farmers should receive a premium on products where good environmental practice is used to produce them? In NZ and globally (i.e. moving out of the commodity space).
b) If so, why? If not, why not?
16. a) What do you think about the conflict between food production and protecting the environment in the face of a rapidly-rising global population?
b) How should New Zealand farmers respond to this?
One farmer stated “the position we (the farming industry) are in is a combination of a failing business model and failed leadership. Essentially real returns for farming have dropped substantially since 1984 (subsidy removal). Farmers are self-delusional; we don’t interrogate our farming business model in a detailed, objective way. To rely on just improving farmer performance as a means of improving profitability is an incredibly naïve and unfortunate way of examining the farming business model. Anyone that gets into a position of leadership in the farming industry is afraid to talk honestly because they’re afraid they might scare off their voting constituent. So because the farming business model is under such stress, and farmers are financially squeezed, to ask them to engage in environmental practices which have a cost, either in terms of
implementation or in terms of possible lost production is really difficult. They see it as another imposition on an already failing business model. That’s the first reason why farmers won’t take it up, they’re just trying to balance the books, pay the mortgage, pay for the kids to go to boarding school, etc. Improving environmental practice is so far down the scale of reality for most farmers, it just can’t happen. They might want to do it, but can’t.”
17. a) What are your views on this?
b) Do you have any ideas for the industry to address this?
Many of the farmers who I have interviewed were motivated to action primarily by other factors (other than environmental) to implement environmental practices on their farms – e.g. management benefits, animal health and safety, able to manage productive areas more effectively, aesthetics, etc.
18. a) Given the above, are the messages that are being sent to farmers and the language that’s being used (‘dirty dairying’ for example) the most appropriate to get action from the majority?
b) Is there a different way to sell the story?
Most of the farmers interviewed had or are still having challenges with ongoing
maintenance of retired and riparian areas. Some received financial support for the initial fencing and/or planting but not for the ongoing maintenance of fences, pest and weed control which can come at a substantial cost. It’s relatively easy to find volunteers to plant trees, but not so easy to get them to clear blackberry or mend fences.
b) Who should fund them and how do you think they should be implemented? 20. The Land and Water Forum and the process it is operating under are getting
cross-sector support and positive feedback.
a) What are your views on the process and do you think it is the best process to achieve change at a catchment level?
b) How long can we wait to allow this process to happen? 21. What else could we do to get farmers to change their behaviour?
22. Primary Industries Minister, David Carter, recently said that we need to improve environmental practices on-farm and increase productivity, and science will provide the solutions. What are your views on this?
Approach
23. What balance do you think there should be between a rules approach (from Central and/or Local Government) and a voluntary framework to improve water quality in New Zealand? Why?
24. Do you think any regulatory approach should be led by Central Government or Local Government? Or by industry?
25. Under a legislative/regulatory approach, who should bear the cost of monitoring/reporting/verification for compliance?
26. a) Who should set minimum standards for water quality? b) How should the decision be made?
27. Do you have any views on what either a voluntary or regulatory approach should look like?
Vision
28. If you were asked to portray a vision or goal to New Zealand sheep and beef farmers around managing water quality nationally, what would it be?
Any other comments to add on anything we’ve discussed?