The Country 04/09/25: Wayne Langford talks to Jamie Mackay

The President of Federated Farmers comments on Dr Mike Joy’s ill-advised outburst. And when it comes to Paris, should we stay or should we go? 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Katy Perry was big in September of twenty ten, Wayne Langford,
I'm segueing from Katy Perry to Wayne Langthord as the
president of Federated Farmers very shortly Mike Joy and Paris.
Should we stay or should we go? But Yolo, do
you remember where you were and what you were doing

(00:21):
on this day fifteen years ago when that earthquake struck
in the middle of the night, I think four o'clock
in the morning by memory.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
Yeah, yeah, Well, maybe I'm confusing it with the other
one I thought I was. I remember with one of
the Crosses quake. So we were sitting there waiting for
the Fonterra milk price to come out at Fonterra expected
to make a big announcement, and then then one of
my brothers said, oh, hey, something's happing down a Crosses here,
and but that might have been the next one.

Speaker 1 (00:45):
The one was, yeah, that might have been the big one.
And what is that twenty second of February twenty eleven.
No one will forget that. They got off really lightly.
What in comparison should I say? It was still devastating.
I actually remember doing a fundraiser. It's not a fundraiser
a community picked me up event. I think it was
at Darfield with Dick Taylor and Richard Lowe. It was

(01:06):
very good to get up there, and Dick took me
around christ Church and showed me all the damage that
had been done. It was an eye opener, but nothing
like February twenty two.

Speaker 2 (01:17):
I'm still disappointed that. And listen to my idea about
the reds Christich. I thought it would have made a
beautiful dairy farm in there. If I claim that a
lot would be nice, nice, nice, less to go right, true,
and we could have done well in that well it might.

Speaker 1 (01:27):
It might have been a bit wet underfoot, very low
lying there, Okay. Doctor Mike Joy a stupid comment on
LinkedIn bring back Hanging for industry CEOs. He was comparing
the dairy industry to Mini Dean baby killers. I mean
the guys. He's a planker if you ask me for
saying that anyhow.

Speaker 2 (01:49):
Yeah, absolutely, kind of disgraceful and disgusting. Really, it is
not something we expect from someone you know in the
academia world or anyone on your own society. Really and
incredibly disappointing. There's certain topics that I get a lot
of messages from farmers about and my phone was blowing
up yesterday afternoon when that one had come through. And yeah,

(02:09):
really disappointing and figured feeds of seeking answers from Victor
University and what's going to happen there?

Speaker 1 (02:14):
Yes, I see your new dairy chair. Carl Dean has
written to Victoria University with the police. Explain if you
had a response yet.

Speaker 2 (02:24):
Yeah, we have had a pretty watered down wet bus
ticket response saying oh, you know, there's an apology here,
and there seems to be an apology written ironic considering
that doctor make Joy seemed to be doubling down on
those comments this morning in the paper. So I'm not
quite sure what's going on there. You know, I would
have thought that if a student of Victor Ernie had

(02:44):
had said that about a vice chancellor that you know,
the chancellors needs to be hung. I don't think they'd
be around at lunchtime, and when I quite understanding why
this the double.

Speaker 1 (02:54):
Standardgain absolutely And as I said on yesterday's show when
this story broke, imagine if my hur or Mike de Latour,
if I'd said that about make Joy, it would be
an outcry.

Speaker 2 (03:06):
Yeah, definitely, And this is nothing against the guy, you know.
I understand that we've got different views and we'll see
the world in a different way, and I'll often talk
to Mike when we're at different conferences and that sort
of thing. But there is a line there you can go,
and there's a line that you can't cross, and he's
crossed that line and the university need to recognize that
and deal with it appropriately.

Speaker 1 (03:24):
Paris should we stay or shall we go?

Speaker 2 (03:27):
So fits had our agm and joy as you remember,
late June, and the vote from our own astal council
was to stay in At the time, our focus is
not really around the Paris Agreement. Our focus is around
what our politicians are and what our politicians are putting
in place, sorry, within that agreement. And that's why it's
been a bit of an interesting discussion this week. I think,

(03:48):
with the X coming out to make their announcement, all
well and good, and we can see where they're coming
from and we're hearing it from our farmers too. We
understand that, but also there's plenty that they can be
doing right now to be solving these issues. And the
symbol kind of bumpers the sick a remark of pulling
out of Paris is kind of that's the simple answer,
or the kind of the simplified answer. The real answer

(04:11):
is to get on and change some of these policies
that we've been talking about.

Speaker 1 (04:14):
Just to finish on house. Carvin going, you must be
nearly finished on your Tasman farm.

Speaker 2 (04:19):
Yeah, well we I think I've told you before. We
do all bulls. We don't do any ai and man
to those guys, they must work all right, because we
just calved down eighty four percent. I think I'm at
about ninety two percent now in just over three weeks.
So it all happens pretty quick here, and nour body's
feeling it. You know, I'm post forty now, and you
feel it a bit more then when you get.

Speaker 1 (04:41):
So well, you're more like an old bull than a
young bull. Is that what you're telling me?

Speaker 2 (04:44):
You plenty of bulls dolling this guy, I can tell you.

Speaker 1 (04:47):
Jamy, Hey, thanks very much for your time from Federated Farmers.
I know you're a busy man. Appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (04:53):
Oh yeah, and let's bring some Canterbury wingers back onto
the back onto the bench of the All Black Sports
Rico still doing the come on, well, who.

Speaker 1 (05:00):
Do you want?

Speaker 2 (05:01):
On? Do you want sevu rees on?

Speaker 1 (05:05):
I reckon, even though he's maligned, much maligned, I reckon,
He's going to come right. He's strong, apparently still the
fastest or maybe Leroy Carter is the fastest All Black.
I don't know. I'm just hoping. I'm just this is
just going to be the best game or the second
best game of the century behind the Stags defense against
Canterbury on Saturday.

Speaker 2 (05:26):
Wow, the Stags lose the Cambary, the Marcos get it
the following week, and I'm pretty excited about that. And
don't get any Tompson starts out there either.

Speaker 1 (05:33):
You can't use that word on those two words. Andy who?
Andy who? Anyhow, I got to go, Thanks for your time. Thanks,
Here we go Yellow Wayne Length