Federated Farmers plans direct action on claims

Press, 25 July 1986, Page 1

Federated Farmers plans direct action on claims

By

HUGH STRINGLEMAN

in Wellington

Federated Fanners’ members will take direct action to press for any claim they might have in future, the annual conference of the federation in Wellington decided yesterday.

Delegates from throughout New Zealand voted to support direct action if their central leadership, the Dominion executive, decided it was necessary in the future.

For instance, the federation would go as far as it legally could to prevent any farmer being forced off a farm. Direct action was one of the two main issues at this year’s annual conference of the federation: the .other was economic restructuring. Part-way through the first day, some of the younger delegates, mainly from Auckland, sought to suspend the normal process of debate on economic remits and get down to "strategy,” which in the

minds of many is a euphemism for direct action in support of an objective. The planning session for direct action was eventually spread partly over all three days — an unprecedented time devoted to business not part of the formal list. Some delegates argued passionately for plain talking on how to save the livelihoods of members under severe financial stress, saying that a member deserved support without that member’s

competency as a farmer being questioned. Others opposed this view, saying that the fed-, eration could not afford to defend to the last ditch a member who through incompetency or over-expo-sure- would have been made bankrupt even in good times. The more radical suggestions for direct action included disruption of forced farm sales, ostracising buyers of such farms, withholding provisional taxation payments and publicising New Zealand as a poor place in

which to invest, which is aimed at driving down the dollar value. Even the mildmannered president, Mr Peter Elworthy, was at one point pressed to concede that he would be prepared to go to jail on an issue if members wanted him to. In a final closed session, delegates took the vote to give the Dominion executive virtual carte blanche to decide when and where to apply these and other types of direct action. ’ •