September 22, 2025 • 9 mins
Jason Herrick wants dialogue to happen around some winter grazing fees which he claims have blindsided farmers.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Tell me what Jason Herrick as President of South and
Federative Farmers, He's been in the news recently between Federative
Farmers and Environments Southland regarding these winter grazing costs, which
(00:22):
Jason claims is nothing more than revenue gathering. We haven't
heard spoken to Jason for a couple of weeks. He's
coming on to say what's happened in a couple of
weeks since Good afternoon, Jason.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Good afternoon, Indian. What a cal song to come on
to a bit.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Of exponents for a Tuesday afternoon. Nothing better. Look the
matter in hand regarding Federative Farmers and Environments Southland. What's
the latest there?
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Hey, Look, I'm working through it day by day at
the moment and talking with farmers and helping farmers at
the table with them, talks with Environments South and over
the cost of recovery and voices, and obviously in dialogue
with counselors and so on. And next step for me
is to organize a meeting with Environments South and head
(01:09):
rob and and Nicol horror as well. But you know,
there's been a lot of too in and throwing in
the media. There's been a lot of accusations been thrown
out there. And one thing I really want to clear
up today is that I have been accused of being
a one man band in this and this is my
own personal of vendetta where it's actually not. I want
(01:31):
to make it known that I represent a full executive
that has that has my back, and they're right behind
me on this. I don't do anything unless I have there, okay,
from my executive which is seventeen representatives around the table,
and obviously the wider community as well, with all the
phocals that I'm having with farmers and you know, and
they're asking me to do this on their behalf because
(01:53):
they're afraid that they will be targeted by Environments South
and if they put their head up and you know,
and so there's that element of fear coming through, and
that's one of the things I keep banging on about.
So I would like Environments South and to be honest
with you, to take ownership and actually, you know, admit
that there's a few issues going on in Environments South
and they need to sort it out listen to the
(02:14):
message instead of coming and attacking the messenger.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
But do you think dialogue should have happened last week
based on what's gone on. If has got to this stage,
I mean everyone's adults here. It's a matter of getting
around a table and just making it work, surely, absolutely.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
And I've been a big fan of that, have done
a lot of that in the past, and to be honest,
a lot of it falls on deafares. And I've said
it before that I have engaged with Environments South and
staff with particular cases with farmers, and you get bound
from person to person and division to division and nothing
ever gets resolved right. And a lot of the time
it's being hidden behind the roma, been hidden behind rules
(02:52):
for this. There's absolutely no common sense to a lot
of it. And to me, it just speaks that they
are pushing it to narrative and they're going to stick
to it, and that narrative creates the angst and fear
that's out there in the community towards Environment South, and
so it's about building relationships back the other way and
Environment South, and I've got to install confidence out there
(03:15):
in farmers that they can be trusted so people can
be working with it. But the way things are going
at the moment, and more and more farmers are coming
forward now, especially around the point that Environment South and
staff are entering farm without notification or without the farmers
on farm, which in my opinion is extremely wrong. And yeah,
it needs to be sorted sooner rather than later.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
But you'll have Nichols phone number, you say, dialogue your
two way street. Surely you can just message them and
say we need to.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
Talk one hundred percent. And I talked to Nickel plenty
of times and other counselors as well, right, And it
depends on who you talk to and whether you get
support or whether you don't. And everyone has a difference
of opinion, right, So you can agree to disagree on
a lot of things and on all for that, but
we need results out of this as well, right, And
(04:03):
instead of hiding behind the likes of the RMA and
the rules and so on, when common sense can prevail
with just a like you say, a good chat at
the table and sort these issues out where a lot
of these issues are caused because compliance staff are only
doing as they're told andy from the heads up the top,
(04:23):
to do the particular job in a particular way. And
to be honest, it's confronting and very very off putting
for farmers you know. I mean, you take into a
counter compliance officer turning up with a body camera on,
and I understand why they're wearing body cameras for their
own protection, but that's confronting for a farmer, straight up,
absolutely confronting. But then the way they deliver themselves in
(04:46):
certain dialogue only exacerbates the situation and it gets it
gets people off side straight away.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Jason, you talk about getting results out of this, what
exactly is a result given the nature of the.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Set results for farmers to be taken seriously and that
they nott all but behaving in a bad way. You
know that they all want to do the right thing.
It's how you present yourself or how you deal with
the situation, you know. First up, So is that particular
(05:18):
training that needs to happen with staff or is that
particular training that needs to happen at a management level?
Is you know, because you're dealing with multiple personalities, different
people talking and and and you know, engaging with one another,
and quite often those personalities can clash. It's given the
training in the right right space to make sure you
get the best outcoming. And in this situation, the way
(05:39):
environment south And has gone about it, I think is wrong.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
So why is the whole winter grazing situation blowing up
compared to other years.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Again, it comes down to the way environments South and
the conducting things. And I understand that they've got a
role to do, and they've got a job to do,
and they and they're trying to stick by the rules.
You know, at the moment we see the compliance officers
in particular, and environments south and seem to have more
power than the police. Do you know, police when they
(06:13):
come on to your property have to provide a warrant
to be able to come onto your property, where these
environments South and officers don't seem to have to have
a warrant at all. They've just got to have an
opinion or just cause to think that you are breaking
the rules or breaking the law without having a conversation
with farmers. So it's all in the way you approach things, Andy,
if you approach the farmer in the right manner, you
(06:33):
will get things done. And like I'll give you, I'll
give you a real prime example. You know, they did
the flyovers at the beginning of May and the beginning
of June. It took two to three weeks before those
compliance officers ended up on farm, and in a lot
of instances, the farmers were getting wroung five minutes before
they show up. You know, they've had two weeks to
contact the farmer. And then I hear excuses that the
(06:55):
contact details aren't always on file. Well, hang on, where
do they send the rates to? They can certainly send
out accounts to the right right people, so why can't
they get in contact with the right people? So you
know that to me, that's just excuses, and they've got
to get their processes right and make sure that you
get the trust of farmers back on board.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
I suppose it's a case of getting male practice out
of the winter grazing system too, though, and it's going
to take.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Time, one hundred percent, of course. It's going to take
time and education. And we've had a wee bit of
a lapse in the in the comms out of Environment
South and started this year. And we did point that
out before winter grazing started on the ten meter buffer,
that the coms weren't there. When that changed all of
a sudden accord, everyone might by surprise, right, and that
(07:38):
should have been you know, first and fore front of
environment sealth and stance and get out there and do.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
A bit of education.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
But there's also instances out there where there's conflicting advice
been given by one compliance officer compared to another. Again
I reiterate it's the perception of the rule from one
compliance officer to another, or sustainability team member to another, right,
So it all around different people looking at different things.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
So that's one of the concerns compliance officers in your opinion,
they're not on the same hymn him seat hymn sheet
as such.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
It doesn't seem like, you know, wider sector of the
whole staff in environments out there on the same hymn sheet, right.
It seems like the divisions and they're a divided they're
operating in their own silos and so on.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
You know, good on you, Jason, will leave it there.
Always appreciate your time on the muster.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
You're welcome, Andy, And like I said, I want to
continue this GOT dialogue and it's about having those conversations
at the table, doing the right thing and making sure
we get the best outcome for everybody involved. And you know,
to make sure that it's not going to continue to
hurt the economic powerhouse of South.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Jason here because South and Federated farmers doubling down regarding
his thoughts around environment. Southland Way did the South Attalian next.
Noda Wood here joins us as well, she said,
Tell me what Jason Herrick as President of South and
Federative Farmers, He's been in the news recently between Federative
Farmers and Environments Southland regarding these winter grazing costs, which
(00:22):
Jason claims is nothing more than revenue gathering. We haven't
heard spoken to Jason for a couple of weeks. He's
coming on to say what's happened in a couple of
weeks since Good afternoon, Jason.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Good afternoon, Indian. What a cal song to come on
to a bit.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Of exponents for a Tuesday afternoon. Nothing better. Look the
matter in hand regarding Federative Farmers and Environments Southland. What's
the latest there?
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Hey, Look, I'm working through it day by day at
the moment and talking with farmers and helping farmers at
the table with them, talks with Environments South and over
the cost of recovery and voices, and obviously in dialogue
with counselors and so on. And next step for me
is to organize a meeting with Environments South and head
(01:09):
rob and and Nicol horror as well. But you know,
there's been a lot of too in and throwing in
the media. There's been a lot of accusations been thrown
out there. And one thing I really want to clear
up today is that I have been accused of being
a one man band in this and this is my
own personal of vendetta where it's actually not. I want
(01:31):
to make it known that I represent a full executive
that has that has my back, and they're right behind
me on this. I don't do anything unless I have there, okay,
from my executive which is seventeen representatives around the table,
and obviously the wider community as well, with all the
phocals that I'm having with farmers and you know, and
they're asking me to do this on their behalf because
(01:53):
they're afraid that they will be targeted by Environments South
and if they put their head up and you know,
and so there's that element of fear coming through, and
that's one of the things I keep banging on about.
So I would like Environments South and to be honest
with you, to take ownership and actually, you know, admit
that there's a few issues going on in Environments South
and they need to sort it out listen to the
(02:14):
message instead of coming and attacking the messenger.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
But do you think dialogue should have happened last week
based on what's gone on. If has got to this stage,
I mean everyone's adults here. It's a matter of getting
around a table and just making it work, surely, absolutely.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
And I've been a big fan of that, have done
a lot of that in the past, and to be honest,
a lot of it falls on deafares. And I've said
it before that I have engaged with Environments South and
staff with particular cases with farmers, and you get bound
from person to person and division to division and nothing
ever gets resolved right. And a lot of the time
it's being hidden behind the roma, been hidden behind rules
(02:52):
for this. There's absolutely no common sense to a lot
of it. And to me, it just speaks that they
are pushing it to narrative and they're going to stick
to it, and that narrative creates the angst and fear
that's out there in the community towards Environment South, and
so it's about building relationships back the other way and
Environment South, and I've got to install confidence out there
(03:15):
in farmers that they can be trusted so people can
be working with it. But the way things are going
at the moment, and more and more farmers are coming
forward now, especially around the point that Environment South and
staff are entering farm without notification or without the farmers
on farm, which in my opinion is extremely wrong. And yeah,
it needs to be sorted sooner rather than later.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
But you'll have Nichols phone number, you say, dialogue your
two way street. Surely you can just message them and
say we need to.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
Talk one hundred percent. And I talked to Nickel plenty
of times and other counselors as well, right, And it
depends on who you talk to and whether you get
support or whether you don't. And everyone has a difference
of opinion, right, So you can agree to disagree on
a lot of things and on all for that, but
we need results out of this as well, right, And
(04:03):
instead of hiding behind the likes of the RMA and
the rules and so on, when common sense can prevail
with just a like you say, a good chat at
the table and sort these issues out where a lot
of these issues are caused because compliance staff are only
doing as they're told andy from the heads up the top,
(04:23):
to do the particular job in a particular way. And
to be honest, it's confronting and very very off putting
for farmers you know. I mean, you take into a
counter compliance officer turning up with a body camera on,
and I understand why they're wearing body cameras for their
own protection, but that's confronting for a farmer, straight up,
absolutely confronting. But then the way they deliver themselves in
(04:46):
certain dialogue only exacerbates the situation and it gets it
gets people off side straight away.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Jason, you talk about getting results out of this, what
exactly is a result given the nature of the.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Set results for farmers to be taken seriously and that
they nott all but behaving in a bad way. You
know that they all want to do the right thing.
It's how you present yourself or how you deal with
the situation, you know. First up, So is that particular
(05:18):
training that needs to happen with staff or is that
particular training that needs to happen at a management level?
Is you know, because you're dealing with multiple personalities, different
people talking and and and you know, engaging with one another,
and quite often those personalities can clash. It's given the
training in the right right space to make sure you
get the best outcoming. And in this situation, the way
(05:39):
environment south And has gone about it, I think is wrong.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
So why is the whole winter grazing situation blowing up
compared to other years.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Again, it comes down to the way environments South and
the conducting things. And I understand that they've got a
role to do, and they've got a job to do,
and they and they're trying to stick by the rules.
You know, at the moment we see the compliance officers
in particular, and environments south and seem to have more
power than the police. Do you know, police when they
(06:13):
come on to your property have to provide a warrant
to be able to come onto your property, where these
environments South and officers don't seem to have to have
a warrant at all. They've just got to have an
opinion or just cause to think that you are breaking
the rules or breaking the law without having a conversation
with farmers. So it's all in the way you approach things, Andy,
if you approach the farmer in the right manner, you
(06:33):
will get things done. And like I'll give you, I'll
give you a real prime example. You know, they did
the flyovers at the beginning of May and the beginning
of June. It took two to three weeks before those
compliance officers ended up on farm, and in a lot
of instances, the farmers were getting wroung five minutes before
they show up. You know, they've had two weeks to
contact the farmer. And then I hear excuses that the
(06:55):
contact details aren't always on file. Well, hang on, where
do they send the rates to? They can certainly send
out accounts to the right right people, so why can't
they get in contact with the right people? So you
know that to me, that's just excuses, and they've got
to get their processes right and make sure that you
get the trust of farmers back on board.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
I suppose it's a case of getting male practice out
of the winter grazing system too, though, and it's going
to take.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Time, one hundred percent, of course. It's going to take
time and education. And we've had a wee bit of
a lapse in the in the comms out of Environment
South and started this year. And we did point that
out before winter grazing started on the ten meter buffer,
that the coms weren't there. When that changed all of
a sudden accord, everyone might by surprise, right, and that
(07:38):
should have been you know, first and fore front of
environment sealth and stance and get out there and do.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
A bit of education.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
But there's also instances out there where there's conflicting advice
been given by one compliance officer compared to another. Again
I reiterate it's the perception of the rule from one
compliance officer to another, or sustainability team member to another, right,
So it all around different people looking at different things.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
So that's one of the concerns compliance officers in your opinion,
they're not on the same hymn him seat hymn sheet
as such.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
It doesn't seem like, you know, wider sector of the
whole staff in environments out there on the same hymn sheet, right.
It seems like the divisions and they're a divided they're
operating in their own silos and so on.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
You know, good on you, Jason, will leave it there.
Always appreciate your time on the muster.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
You're welcome, Andy, And like I said, I want to
continue this GOT dialogue and it's about having those conversations
at the table, doing the right thing and making sure
we get the best outcome for everybody involved. And you know,
to make sure that it's not going to continue to
hurt the economic powerhouse of South.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Jason here because South and Federated farmers doubling down regarding
his thoughts around environment. Southland Way did the South Attalian next.
Noda Wood here joins us as well, she said,
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