Farmer objects to term ‘assistance’

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32783, 7 December 1971, Page 12

Farmer objects to term ‘assistance’

Because sheep-farming was of national importance, grants to farmers were for the national good and should not be spoken of in terms of “assistance," Mr B. H. Palmer, chairman of the North Canterbury Federated Fanners meat and wool section said at an executive meeting. “The sheep-retention-grant fund, is erroneously termed ’assistance to sheepfarmers’ by the news media, creating a false impression of the intentions of the scheme in the tax-payers mind,” he said.

“To illustrate the importance of the sheep industry, the amount received by New Zealand in overseas funds for a lamb in the hold of a ship alongside the Timaru wharf is $B.

“As New Zealand exports something like 23 million

lambs, this equals slB4m ir overseas earnings for laml alone.” That the farmer receiver s4.so—a level at which h< was unable to maintain pro duction—was of immense im portance to the industry na tionally, said Mr Palmer. “The objective of the whoh scheme is for the purpose o maintaining this earning rat< for New Zealand; not a phil anthropic gesture to farmer for the purpose of. maintain ing their standard of livingit is an investment to se' that New Zealand does con tinue to earn these funds." Mr Palmer said that an? grants to sheepfarmers mus necessarily be for the na tional good, and therefon the term “assistance tc sheepfarmers” should b< dropped, in favour of “sheep retention grant scheme."