COMPLIANCE-HEAVY REFORMS ARE NOT THE SOLUTION Words by Antony Heywood : Vegetables New Zealand Inc. general manager
In early June, Agriculture Minister, Hon Damien O’Connor, released a government framework for farming planning: Good Farm Planning Principles Guide: Toward Integrated Farm Planning. The integrated farm planning approach aims to provide advice to growers on how to organise their farming operations across areas such as climate change, animal welfare, biosecurity, and people management – with a large focus on integrating greenhouse gas emission targets and freshwater regulatory requirements into planning. As a grower, you are expected to hold a sound understanding of this concept, and your role in the process. Although the genesis of this concept was to reduce compliance and duplication rather than doubling down on red tape, it is a large assumption to think that a holistic approach will streamline regulatory processes.
teach growers how to use the tools and manage their outcomes, and allow them the time they will need to learn these new skills and embed them into their business practice Growers are under mounting pressure. Instead of providing tools for growers to succeed, the outcome is likely to push growers towards consultant-based reports, deficient of pragmatic solutions. Employing costly consultants to deal to complex regulation, is not a sustainable solution for our growers.
58 NZGROWER : AUGUST 2021
Instead, teach growers how to use the tools and manage their outcomes, and allow them the time they will need to learn these new skills and embed them into their business practice. To their credit, government is continuing conversations on supporting frameworks of assurance programmes such as GAP. While GAP will not be a complete solution for the new Freshwater Farm Plan regulations, there are many elements of the programme which will meet the new policy requirements. Government’s support of such programmes is hoped to avoid further compliance duplication. For a grower I would say this – if you can follow GAP, and the risk-based process that GAP is built on (delivering an action plan), these regulations should not be too onerous. If you embrace the concept and use it to drive a better bottom line (manage your resources), it may not be the last straw that broke the camel’s back. Good Farm Planning Principles Guide: Toward Integrated Farm Planning: https://www.mpi.govt.nz/ dmsdocument/45382-Good-Farm-Planning-PrinciplesTowards-Integrated-Farm-Planning
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