Subsidies urged to protect coastal land

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33568, 24 June 1974, Page 12

Subsidies urged to protect coastal land

Subsidies should be made available to protect fertile coastal farmland from flooding by sea water, said the member of Parliament for South Canterbury (Mr R. L. G. Talbot) on Saturday.

"Some of our most fertile land in Canterbury; ig along the coast,” said Mr Talbot. “A good deal of money has been spent by farmers in the development of this coastal land in recent years to bring it to a high state of production.

"Unless help can be given in protecting this land from sea water there will be no incentive for farmers to redevelop this land,” he said. Mr Talbot met many farmers, and inspected 600 acres of flooded farmland in the Milford area of Geraldine County and about 800 acres in Waimate County. He Was accompanied by Mr J. E. Pemberton, Geraldine County representative on the South Canterbury Catchment Board; Mr T. L. Fancourt, chief engineer to the board; and Messrs B. J. McSweeney and J. L. Symons, of the Department of Agriculture. Farmers told the party that they were concerned about coastal land of high potential being put out of production by salt water. No subsidies were at present available for the protection of this land from sea flooding, said Mr Talbot. Some amendment to existing legislation or regulations was needed before any effective action could be taken. Mr Talbot said that farmers were prepared to contribute to long-term protection of the land. He intended to arrange a meeting of farmers with the South Canterbury Catchment Board and Department of Agriculture representatives with a view to examining possible changes required in existing legislation. The member of Parliament for Rakaia (Mr C. C. A. McLachlan) thinks that farmers near Lake Ellesmere whose land was flooded by seawater on Friday should be

given Government help to protect their land. Mr McLachlan on Saturday met the 17 farmers affected by the flooding. He said last evening that if the sea continued to overtake the sandhills near Lake Ellesmere, at least one farm might have to be abandoned, and 700 acres of productive land would be in danger. "I shall ask the Minister of Works (Mr Watt) if a report on the area can be obtained by his department, and also ask the Minister of Agriculture (Mr Moyle) about relief for those affected by the soaking of their land with sea-water,” Mr McLachlan said.