Rural

Southland Farmers Boycott Over Fishing Access Dispute

"Enough's enough, it's just got absolutely ridiculous," Hunt says.

In a bold move, Southland Federated Farmers, led by Spokesperson Bernadette Hunt, are urging local farmers to withdraw fishing access on their land, due to what they are describing as 'eroded goodwill' by Southland Fish & Game

Hunt explains to Dom that the call to action stems from a contentious court ruling mandating over 3,000 farmers to obtain resource consent for nutrient runoff. 

She explains how farmers can express their frustration through the Orange Ribbon Campaign, which seeks to rally community support for equitable land use. 

In a recent press release, Federated Farmers Southland president Jason Herrick said, "We’re fed up with Southland Fish & Game’s persistent, belligerent anti-farming rhetoric and their opposition to everything we do."

"We’ve tried our best to maintain our relationship with them, but they’ve washed that relationship away down the Mataura River."

Listen to the full chat between Bernadette Hunt and Dominic George above.

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