Editorial

More research on regen needed

AS DISCUSSION over the role of regenerative agriculture in New Zealand grows, the latest research around it has highlighted the urgent need for clarity about what the concept means in a NZ context, and for more scientific testing of evidence and claims provided by advocates.

The white paper produced by Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research sets out 17 priority research topics identified by sector representatives, regenerative farmers and professionals in the wider agri-food system.

It also introduces 11 principles for regenerative farming from farmer focus groups that can be applied across the primary sector.

There is already plenty of research going on, both at a national and local level.

Canterbury dairy farmers Align Farms have bitten the bullet and are 18 months into a trial on two of its farms to compare any benefits or disadvantages of a regenerative approach to conventional farming. You’ve got to take your hat off to them as it’s not as if they’ve got a blueprint for NZ conditions they can follow, testing new ways of farming while still remaining productive and profitable.

However, for them it’s a natural step to look at regen’s potential, given the company’s mission is to advance human and environmental outcomes by producing nutrient-dense foods in a resilient, diverse and productive environment. That’s not to say it’s been easy, as there’s been plenty of challenges along the way and likely more to come.

Given Align’s plans to share its findings with other farmers and other stakeholders, the wider industry could yet owe them a word of thanks if they can produce evidence-based data and examples that provide clear comparisons between regenerative and conventional farming practices that others can learn from.

Surprisingly, according to the white paper, it seems that there is plenty of agreement between advocates and sceptics of the practices around regen ag.

Let’s hope that common ground is more than just a foothold for future research into it, and that real progress can be made to identifying what it can bring to NZ and how that can be made to happen.

It’s an area that is building momentum in other parts of the world and we can’t afford to be left behind, whether that be for the good of the land or to remove another potential nontariff trade barrier.

Colin Williscroft

LETTERS Wildlife TB test process is flawed

LAURIE Collins in Farmers Weekly, January 11, repeats the logical fallacy that as only 54 possums of 124,000 “autopsied” in the 10 years prior to 2016 were found to be infected with bovine TB (bTB), therefore wildlife are not a factor in TB infection in livestock. The problem with this apparently popular conspiracy theory is that these post-mortems are not designed to prove wildlife in a specific area are infected with TB.

In fact, if I as a levy-paying farmer and a member of the Northland TBfree Committee found OSPRI was spending resources on biopsies of possums in areas where TB is known to be present in wildlife, I would be asking some hard questions of their priorities.

The fact is that the testing of dead possums and pigs for bTB is to determine the exact opposite; it is to prove there is no bTB in wildlife in an area where either infection has been found in livestock or possum control has been carried out.

The danger of this belief that there is a conspiracy by OSPRI to waste millions of dollars in farmer levies on dropping 1080 on innocent wildlife is that recreational hunters will in ignorance release infected pigs or deer in an area that is TB free, which is a potential disaster for the local farming community. And a huge cost in eradicating the disease from wildlife in that area.

I agree that there is too much spread of animal disease by livestock movement, including the recent M bovis outbreak. It needs to emphasise that Nait can only allow us to follow where an outbreak has occurred, whereas responsible movement of animals that avoids movements from high risk areas can head off new incursions completely. There will be costs associated with high risk movements in the future.

CHASING TAIL: If OSPRI ever spends resources on biopsies of possums in areas where TB is known to be present in wildlife, their priorities need to be assessed, Federated Farmers Northland acting dairy chair Matt Long says.

Matt Long

Federated Farmers Northland acting dairy chair Whangarei

Farmers Weekly is published by GlobalHQ, PO Box 529, Feilding 4740. New Zealand Phone: 0800 85 25 80 Website: www.farmersweekly.co.nz EDITOR Bryan Gibson 06 323 1519

bryan.gibson@globalhq.co.nz EDITORIAL Carmelita Mentor-Fredericks 06 323 0769 editorial@globalhq.co.nz Neal Wallace 03 474 9240 neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz Colin Williscroft 027 298 6127 colin.williscroft@globalhq.co.nz Annette Scott 021 908 400 annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz Hugh Stringleman 09 432 8594 hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz Gerald Piddock 027 486 8346 gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz Richard Rennie 07 552 6176 richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz Nigel Stirling 021 136 5570 nigel.g.stirling@gmail.com PUBLISHER Dean Williamson 027 323 9407 dean.williamson@globalhq.co.nz ADVERTISING Andy Whitson 027 626 2269 New Media & Business Development Lead andy.whitson@globalhq.co.nz Steve McLaren 027 205 1456 Auckland/Northland advertising steve.mclaren@globalhq.co.nz Jody Anderson 027 474 6094 Waikato/Bay of Plenty advertising jody.anderson@globalhq.co.nz Donna Hirst 027 474 6095 Lower North Island/international advertising donna.hirst@globalhq.co.nz Ernest Nieuwoudt 027 474 6091 South Island advertising ernest.nieuwoudt@globalhq.co.nz Clint Dunstan 027 474 6004 Real Estate & Farm Machinery advertising clint.dunstan@globalhq.co.nz ISSN 2463-6002 (Print) ISSN 2463-6010 (Online) Ella Holland 06 323 0761 Livestock advertising 027 602 4925 livestock@globalhq.co.nz Debbie Brown 06 323 0765 Classifi eds/Employment advertising classifi eds@globalhq.co.nz Grant Marshall 027 887 5568 AgriHQ Partnership Manager grant.marshall@globalhq.co.nz Andrea Mansfi eld 027 446 6002 Salesforce director andrea.mansfi eld@globalhq.co.nz Steph Holloway 06 323 0142 AgriHQ Commercial Leader steph.holloway@globalhq.co.nz PRODUCTION Lana Kieselbach 027 739 4295 production@globalhq.co.nz Advertising material adcopy@globalhq.co.nz SUBSCRIPTIONS 0800 85 25 80 subs@globalhq.co.nz Printed by Ovato NZ Ltd Delivered by Reach Media Ltd