The next govt will be a National govt...

[harm_less]

The Greens are not anti farming. They are pro improved farming. It would be foolish to be anti farming considering we would all starve without it. But it needs to become better, more efficient, less wasteful, and move - like the rest of us - into a new world that faces an existential threat to the survival of humanity...

and if farmers/producers could be required by law to sell 20% of their product locally that would be a bonus as well.  It's stupid having all this homegrown produce that we all have to pay global market prices just so the rich can get richer.  It will oversupply the NZ market, drive food prices down, and solve some of the food poverty problems.

As long as those that live on the land and derive their living from it continue to be undervalued members of society nothing will change.

As farmers struggle to survive economically they will want to maximise the returns they derive from their efforts. In the past I grew Organically ceritified avocados. The premium in price they commended saw them airfreighted into the US with the retailers that were supplied them to then asking for the 2nd or 3rd grade fruit (which we weren't allowed to export). The conventional growers were receiving a meagre return for their shipped fruit at the time while we just couldn't come close to supplying demand.

The rest of the world believes in our 'clean, green' image and are prepared to pay top dollar for our produce (certified for authenticity) but that same internationally sort after produce struggles to find willing buyers here at home. It is no wonder that growers yearn after the far more lucrative export market. NZers just fail to recognise the quality of the fruit, veges, meat and fish that is right here on their own doorstep.


Unfortunately "Organics" has been so maligned in the past that it has to fight an uphill battle against synthetically grown produce. The current rise in popularity of 'Regenerative' farming is making headway against Organics negative connotations to the benefit of positive product differentiation and ecological impact.