The Country 10/10/25: Andrew Hoggard and Grant McCallum talk to Hamish McKay

Today’s farmer-politician panel discuss the Paris Agreement, wilding pines, and farmer confidence.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The farmer panel with the Isuzu Dmax, the Kiwi Ute
built tough with truck DNA.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
Well Friday or the country.

Speaker 3 (00:08):
I guess that's time for a bit of a panel
and two outstanding gentlemen.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Mister G McCallum mister A. Hogar joined us. First. To Andrew,
I'm just gonna say, how's your hockey? You are right?

Speaker 3 (00:17):
You?

Speaker 2 (00:17):
You ready to go, my harker.

Speaker 1 (00:21):
I haven't done one of those in years, not since
a very drunken trip overseas in my twenties. But yep, no,
I'm all good.

Speaker 2 (00:30):
You're all good with it. Uh great, We're about you,
We're about so you coming to us from today?

Speaker 4 (00:35):
Oh, I've been kitty kitty with the Honorbald James Mega
were visiting airports and ports today looking at a business
which is looking to develop autonomous flights. So then you go.
That was all happening in the Lower New Zealand. They
were leading the world on some of the stuff.

Speaker 3 (00:51):
That's great autonomous flight that that that that that No,
I just I can't get my head around that. But
then again, who you don't worry that's probably most people.

Speaker 4 (01:02):
But the technology is coming along. It will happen one day, Mate,
it will happen one day.

Speaker 3 (01:07):
Fantastic, right, Andrew Andrew Hoggard Nestle leaves them the Climate
Alliance for Dairy Emission Reductions. This is some sort of
vindication for ACT wanting New Zealand out of the old
Paris Accord.

Speaker 1 (01:21):
Well, I think it shows that a lot of people
are really thinking twice about some of these performises. And
I guess virtue signaling, And you know, it's kind of
a point that we're making as to how we actually
really need to relook at how this thing's done, focus
on what are the important stuff that needs to be done.
In terms of improving farms, the key thing is we

(01:43):
want to farm more efficiently, not farm less, and some
of these programs and designs are all about farming less,
not more effectively.

Speaker 2 (01:51):
Yeah, great, what do you make That's a good call.
Isn't it efficient? Not less more efficiently? It makes sense,
doesn't it? Yeah?

Speaker 4 (01:59):
Absolutely, And we've got keep doing things better. And actually,
but with respect to the whole conversation around emissions and
so forth, all for example, methane and the missions are
wasted energy, wasted energy which we're better off going into
producing products, whether it be milk or meat, and so
I think that's a good good way to look at this.

(02:20):
It's been creating our farm, making our farce. This is
more efficient by utilizing the grass better. It's effectively what
we're looking to do.

Speaker 3 (02:27):
So if we're looking for more efficiency wilding pines, this
keeps popping up and raising its ugly head.

Speaker 2 (02:33):
Look is this eradication?

Speaker 3 (02:35):
Is it going to get government help Andrew, because it
clearly needs it needs some sort of massive injection.

Speaker 2 (02:43):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (02:43):
Well, look it's already the biggest spend in biosecurity on
terms of pests. We put an extra two million in
this year, recently done a burned trail to try and
work out ways we can do it cheaper and more effectively.
And you know DOCS also has put more of their
IVL funding into it, so the numbers are increasing. It

(03:06):
is a big challenge, but you know, money is tight
and we're going to make sure that we're spending it
it's spent effectively. I'll certainly be pushing as much as
I can to try and do the program as fully
as possible. But you know there's an element of we're
going to work out how we can do the smarter. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (03:27):
Great, I'd say that this is somewhere where we haven't
got much time because it's a problem that's you know,
going through the roof side to speak.

Speaker 4 (03:35):
Yeah, and the approach that Andrews taking is being on.
It's about getting the idealism is realism. But we've got
a real challenge here. And in an ideal world you
wouldn't necessarily burn up do big control biz. But realistically
in terms of making the dollars go further and get
the outcome which we best for conservation and for the land,

(03:57):
I think it's one of, for examples, sorts of things's
gonna be prepared to do. So we'll power to the
people involved.

Speaker 3 (04:02):
Yep, we're talking here with our Friday Farmer Political Panel,
missus McCallum and Hoggard.

Speaker 2 (04:08):
Gentlemen. Just the mood around the country.

Speaker 3 (04:11):
I mean these are heady old days at the Sally
Yards farm gate prices.

Speaker 2 (04:15):
And you know what's the vibe.

Speaker 3 (04:17):
Is there confidence for the future or do people sort
of see this as a look, look bank these pennies
while they're coming in kind of mentality, what's what's your feel?

Speaker 1 (04:26):
Yeah, Look, it's a bit of a weird one because
everyone's pretty excited around the prices we're getting. But at
the same time we've got a whole bunch of regional
counsels that are doing some crazy things, which is putting
a lot of stress and pressure on farmers. So it's
a bit of a mixed bag out there, you know.
I think if we can, hopefully once the first reading

(04:48):
of the new replacement for the RIMA happens, people will
see the new direction things are happening in and that'll
give them a hell of a lot more confidence about
the changes we're making and that they have a bit
more certainty and in terms of being able to invest
and know that they're not going to have to peep
jumping through massive hopes every time they want to change
something on their Farmah.

Speaker 4 (05:09):
Yeah, I very similar that recently. Last weekend took visit
a went down to Canterbury and we had a hall
full of many dairy farmers and arable farmers in Canterbury
and their biggest concern wasn't the profitability of businesses. It
was it was actually environment Canterbury and dealing with that
and the rama changes it was causing genuine concern and

(05:31):
being in that room you can feel that you listen
to heart felt stories of farmers genuinely struggling to deal
with the rules and e Can's approach and attitude towards them,
anyone would think they were the enemy of the state.
Were actually the rural sect that's propping this country up.
And it's time we got that, we got the balance
right and people started to accept that.

Speaker 3 (05:50):
Yeah, yeah, stop speaking so much common sense you too.
As for e Can when I talk to my Richard
Lowe or jeez, you know that's one guy you don't want.

Speaker 2 (06:03):
To fire up. But I'll tell you what. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (06:08):
Yeah, So come on, Regional Councils ETCENTA, pull your head
and gentlemen, thank you very much. Our Friday Farmer Political
Panel here on the country. Okay, it is fourteen minutes
away from one o'clock. Time flies when you're having fun.
Our panel there, Grant McCallum Andrew Hoggard, thanks to ISUZU

(06:28):
bringing you there.

Speaker 2 (06:29):
The Farmer Politician Panel there