June 18, 2024

 

New Zealand reviews policy impacting swine farming

The New Zealand government is reviewing amendments to a policy that NZ Pork claims is limiting the growth of swine farming in the country, Stuff reported.

 

The National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land (NPS-HPL), introduced in 2022, aims to protect productive land by restricting infrastructure development. However, Brent Kleiss, CEO of NZ Pork, is concerned that the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) and local councils are interpreting the policy to exclude indoor farming from the definition of primary industry.

 

An MfE spokesperson stated that the ministry is collaborating with the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) to allow more flexibility in farming activities on designated lands.

 

Kleiss said MfE and councils are interpreting the policy to mean that land affected by it should be reserved for certain types of farming, excluding swine farming.

 

Ministry discussion documents revealed that farmers are worried about the lack of clear pathways for consenting new, sector-specific infrastructure on highly productive land, as well as for developing or relocating structures used for intensive indoor primary production and greenhouses.

 

Kleiss said this interpretation makes it difficult for new swine farms to be established and for existing farms to expand or adapt their operations.

 

He said swine farms are often integrated with larger farms, using swine manure as natural fertiliser for cropping or pastoral land, which is why many swine farms are located on land considered good for farming under the policy.

 

While NZ Pork supports the policy's intention, Kleiss noted that the term "primary production purposes" was changed to "land-based primary production" when the policy was published. As councils implement the policy, they seem to interpret this change to exclude indoor primary production activities from highly productive land.

 

An MfE spokesperson acknowledged these concerns and stated that they warrant further consideration. The MfE and MPI have consulted stakeholders on amendments to the policy to clarify what can be built on highly productive land.

 

The consultation period closed in October 2023, and ministers are expected to seek cabinet approval for the changes later this year.

 

-      Stuff