The economy

Press, 22 July 1980, Page 16

The economy

Sir, — It w’as interesting to read Mr Stevens’s letter (July 17) on his impressions of Mr Muldoon’s Budget. I say interesting because I am as surprised as I am disappointed that someone can trot out all those hoary old tales that were commonly spun 15 years ago when farm .products did have some substance in our economy. “Farming our way out of an economic mess” epitomises the average farmer’s infatuation with his own worth. The worth of our farm products relies wholly and solely on a British, American or Japanese housewife picking up a New Zealand product from a supermarket shelf . and placing it in the shopping basket. A farmer has so little in-

volvement with the incredible chain of events that leads up to that one small purchase being made thousands of times a year around the world that I henceforth call on our nation to strike out the word “farmer” and replace it with the word “shepherd,” because all our farmers do is tend the flock and their reimbursement should reflect it. — Yours, etc., G. A. SMITH. July 18, 1980.