National’s farm policy meets wide approval

Press, 27 June 1987, Page 2

National’s farm policy meets wide approval

By

HUGH STRINGLEMAN

farm editor The National Party’s policy oh agriculture, released yesterday, has found widespread favour, even with the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Moyle, who asserts that it broadly endorses the thrust of the Government’s own policy. The president of Federated Farmers, Mr Peter Elworthy, was in no doubt that National had adopted many of the fed- . eration’s own policy objectives, released in May under the title, “Agriculture — strategy for the future.” .....Mr Elworthy said that National had yesterday .produced some-carefully thought out and .imagina-'.','„ tive reforms and pro-“’

posals.“We are encouraged by the major plank, which is that agriculture will benefit from economic policy aimed at reducing inflation, lowering interest rates, and achieving more acceptable exchange rates,” he said. Apart from such general statements of economic intent, which are quite common from Government leaders as well, the National Party has . adopted two agricultural policy planks which will find widespread favour in marginal rural seats where it needs to win to become the Government. These are the simplification of the new livestock taxation scheme and ' ; Specific pleasures to'kick- ■ start fanner settlement. 3

The complicated livestock taxation system has been seen by almost all farmers to be the steel cap of the Labour Government’s boot. Farm development and settlement have? been at a standstill during the . last three years as land and stock prices adjusted to economic restructuring. The Government is unable to point to any renewed farm settlement at lower land prices and the National Party has taken the opportunity to promise specific measures in this area. The Minister of Agriculture, Mr Moyle, said that . National, could not find ■" fault with the Govern- " 'm&it’s . hdhdiing”dOgri<~ ■ •‘culture;‘which is; a - little;; 'like' I 'criticising someone-

for not arguing with you. Mr Moyle said the taxation reform proposals would actually disadvantage most genuine pastoral fanners while conferring some short-term advantage on speculators. He called the land settlement policy “pretty harmless” but bound to create a , demand for special trehtment from others. The chairman of * United Wheatgrowers, Mr Mervyn Gray, joined Mr Elworthy in welcoming the National Party’s intention to help arable , farmers with severe problems by seeking negotiations with the Australian wheat industry and making sure' that countervailduties;'•were; applied " against subsidised ■ , ’im4 ' ‘portetf%fibat.