The Country 04/06/25: Jane Smith talks to Jamie Mackay

North Otago farmer and award-winning environmentalist supports Luxon’s response to the climate scientists. She also comments on the Federated Farmers Banking Survey.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
She is a North Otago farmer, former winner of the
Balanced Farm Environment Towards Jane Smith joins us on the country. Jane,
and I know you didn't hear the interview that we've
displayed with the Prime Minister, but I say good on
Christopher Luxen for telling the Wokes to UK climate scientists
to send their letters to other countries after they'd written
an open letter to them complaining about US ignoring scientific

(00:25):
evidence when it came to reducing methane. What do you reckon?

Speaker 2 (00:29):
Good afternoon, Jamie, Well, that sounds like music's my ears actually,
and well done for Luxe and no stop calling him
lux flakes. He really sounds like he's really the nallum Headea.
And it's exactly what we've known for a long time
in New Zealander is forging its own way in regards
to this, and simply what they had to say was
a lot of hot air. Of course, in reality, it's
just trying to take the heat off what the EU

(00:51):
hasn't done in terms of gross emissions, in terms of
fossil fuels, and again it's the unfortunate news is for
them might make an exciting headline, is that we've already delivered.
We are already delivering every single day in terms of
our methane emissions. And again that doesn't sound exciting, but
this unhinged obsession with naturally food producing emissions needs to stop.

(01:12):
I mean, of course we've got a high per care
for the rate of natural biogenic comissions. We've got a
low population coupled with high food production. So and again
that that is absolutely needs to be put to bed.
Isn't it strange Jamie that methane seems more targeted these
days than methane phetamine. You know, we've got less three
minutes in the world now than we have before the
Industrial revolution. As you know, sheep down fifty eight percent

(01:37):
twenty one, twenty four and so I'd love to extrapolate
that out, Jamie, and I will do that when I
get some time actually, to put that into the equivalent
cars off the road and you know, farming New Zealand
farmings that are real crossroads at the moment. And I've
been thinking about this a lot lately. You know, we
either go the nature way or the more nuclear way.
And the EU seems to be absolutely as I said,

(02:00):
this high interference using man made energy and I've feed
loted food production, et cetera. And that couldn't get further
away from where I'm standing right now, Jamie, six hundred
meters above sea level. We're harnessing the sunlight and photosynthesis
to produce pasta and tended then to naturally raise protein.
And New Zealand needs to decide, Jamie, we're either claiming

(02:20):
pasture feed naturally raised or we are going down the
road of you know, the biotech feed editive unnecessary vaccines
and boalduses. Because actually it's really unique what we're doing.
And I'm not anti science or progress. I want technology
on the farm, so smart collars, electronic tags, weighing systems,
et cetera. But I don't want technology in my food,

(02:41):
you know, pasture or peatri just dish, Jamie. We need
to decide.

Speaker 1 (02:45):
Hey, have you seen I'm sure you've cast your eye
over at the Federated Farmer's the latest banking survey.

Speaker 2 (02:52):
Yes, I did see that, Jamie, And I know it
wasn't great reading back in December, and I see sort
of bounced up a bit distance in and I think also,
I think the banks need to be careful. They don't
take too much credit for it because also farming has
changed a lot in terms of just the positivity out
theas since it was as you compare it to pre Christmas.

(03:12):
I think the banks do have the tail between their legs,
which isn't a bad thing because it's been a hell
of a mental health burden and it's probably been massively
underreported in terms of the structure of debt and the
pressure from banks. But certainly I thought it's hitting in
the right tradectory and the right direction. And it also
just as call out has been really good, and so
I congratulate Seeds for the work that they've done on

(03:33):
that and individuals that help them do that. And let's
hope communication and in that trust. We always say in
our farming operation, no matter who we deal with, be
it a bank or a Vista or a farm supplier,
you're not always going to get the best deal all
of the time, but you want to know that they've
got your back, And especially in our so producing non
subsidized sector, we need to know that because we're highly

(03:56):
sensitive to all of those scenarios in terms of pressure
and sing and the cost of production, and so we
want to have that mutual trust and we have to
head forwards and our seat to Jamie, the.

Speaker 1 (04:08):
Standout number for me was on overdraft interest rates. They've
dropped off the back of drops in the OCR obviously,
but Rabobank offered the lowest seven point three percent, b
and Z remains the highest at nine point seven percent.
How can there be effectively two and a half percent
difference between two banks? I call it profit tearing.

Speaker 2 (04:30):
Yeah, it does seem really strange, Jamie. And of course
all the banks are there to make a profit, and
it is a little bit dangerous sometimes to be kept
comparing one off interest rates, et cetera. But it's again
that lack of trust because as farmers, we're just busy
trying to do the right thing, keep the GDP rolling
out in the farm, and to feel like you need
to be checking your interest rates against your neighbors and
other banks every single day is not a nice feeling.

(04:53):
And I think again banking has moved away from that
sort of personal factor at times to more of a
transactional one, and so we need to sort of bring
that back and actually bring bring the bankers into the fold.
And as I said that, it all comes down to trust.
So yeah, hopefully it's onwards and up with Jamie, and
farmers just hopefully feel like they've got a little bit

(05:13):
more power, because it was also that power and balance
that was the really scary thing. Jamie.

Speaker 1 (05:17):
Yeah, And to be fair, this banking survey which was
carried out in May was a response from seven hundred farmers,
so maybe a few described B and Z farmer clients
may have skewed the numbers a wee bit, But I
still argue banks across the board are ripping farmers and
business people off on OD rates.

Speaker 2 (05:38):
Oh exactly, Jamie, And we need to be very very
careful that we do push back on that. And again
I'll come back to those two words, trust and transparency.
Just as our consumers trust us to have transparency and
what we are producing, we actually need that trust in
house with those that we align ourselves with. So again
take that the power farmers, and make sure that we

(05:58):
are we are asking those hard questions because again, this
is going to make such a difference to our product
or a profitability, because our productivity is a country is
really concerning, and you see what's happening worldwide is the
same thing. We actually need to up our productivity and
all of these these climate change et cetera. Issues at banks,

(06:18):
and again that's actually increased their cost as well because
they've turned their mind to interfering in areas and people's
businesses that they should never have been in. You know
why banks were ever putting money into the agritech space
in terms of agri zero et cetera, which is a
venture capital scheme that is concerning. So to just get
out of that because all of those things are the

(06:39):
trojan horse. You look at the Paris Accords, the man
lost or forestation et cetera, a trojan horse to actually
come up against our productivity. And you look at the
two thousand and two hundred and sixty thousand hectores that
we've planted and pine trees. You know, it's not the
pine tree's fault. It's actually because we've signed up to
the Paris Accord, and you know, the methane global methane targets, etcetera.

(07:01):
All of actually that work against our unique profile and
mu zealand exactly what we'll see in that letter. But
turn it around the right way and say eachy consumers
and food producers are asking you a lot more. And
it's interesting, Cameron Bergri said, the other day. All the
fancy trade deals in the world are never going to help.
If you run out of land, you run out of stock,
you run out of farmers, and those that are remaining

(07:25):
are never going to get a premium that's large enough
to be lumped with the extra cost of production. So
let's go back to basics and again, I choose pasture
over a Petri dish.

Speaker 1 (07:34):
Okay, I think we know where you Stan Jane. Sorry,
I'm out of time. I would say I'll see you
at field Days, but I think you've got a bull
sale next week on your North Otago farm. Hey, thanks
as always for your time standing six hundred meters above
sea level.

Speaker 2 (07:46):
Thanks Sammy,