Federated Farmers has lobbied hard to promote policies that will ensure farmers, the economy and the country are all on the road to success. Farming is NZ's backbone and will lift us out of recession. Federated Farmers is pleased to see delivery on research, infrastructure, water and regulatory reform during challenging economic times. "The agricultural sector accounts for 65 percent of all exports and Budget 2009 emphasises agriculture as NZ's largest and most important industry. It's welcome realism," says Don Nicolson, Federated Farmers President. "The Government has walked a tightrope in looking to boost productivity and competitiveness without flaming debt. "That said, business is facing a very difficult environment and many NZers are being insulated at the expense of business. Its okay to "˜preserve entitlements' for workers but without business owners, there would be no jobs. "The Minister of Agriculture ought to be congratulated for the Primary Growth Partnership. He has won this during a very difficult economic period and it will boost Research and Development (R&D) by $321 million over four years," Mr Nicolson says. "This includes the separate $190 million primary sector innovation fund that will be matched dollar-for-dollar with industry. Aside from a successful conclusion to the Doha trade round and water storage, agricultural R&D is a potential economic game breaker. M&WNZ Chair, Mike Petersen said that the level of investment made available highlighted the Government's recognition of the sector's considerable earning potential. "The budget has signalled that NZ is in for a challenging few years with the financial crisis that has dominated the world economies. However NZ is well placed for an earlier recovery than other countries with the sheep and beef sector leading the way. "It's pleasing to see the Government growing its support to the primary sector which makes up 64% of exports and generates $24.5 billion for the economy." Mr Petersen said sheep and beef farmers operated in a competitive global environment and they were very aware of the need to be innovative and ready to grow new export opportunities.
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