1 00:00:01,840 --> 00:00:05,359 Speaker 1: The Rural Report on Hither Duper see Alan Drive. 2 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:07,520 Speaker 2: Jamie mckaye, host of the Countries with us A Jamie 3 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:10,280 Speaker 2: good a heather. So sheep numbers are down one percent, 4 00:00:10,320 --> 00:00:12,640 Speaker 2: beef cattles up nearly well, just over. 5 00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:16,520 Speaker 1: Four yeah, okay. And on the face of a fall 6 00:00:16,560 --> 00:00:19,480 Speaker 1: of one percent for the sheep number doesn't appear to 7 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:23,919 Speaker 1: be too bad. But worryingly, the breeding is the ones 8 00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:27,200 Speaker 1: that produced the lambs have fallen by nearly two percent. 9 00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 1: Here's the numbers either. We're now in this country only 10 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:33,200 Speaker 1: have When I say only, we only have twenty three 11 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:37,279 Speaker 1: point three million sheep. It's about exactly one third of 12 00:00:37,320 --> 00:00:41,240 Speaker 1: what we had in nineteen eighty two. There's about four 13 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:42,720 Speaker 1: sheep to every one of us. 14 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:43,080 Speaker 2: Now. 15 00:00:43,320 --> 00:00:46,000 Speaker 1: Back in the nineteen sixties, the Holy Oak years, there 16 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:49,120 Speaker 1: was thirty sheep to every one of us. So we've 17 00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:52,479 Speaker 1: seen a real decline and sheep numbers now beef and 18 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:55,440 Speaker 1: lamb New Zealand. This is part of their annual stock 19 00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:59,120 Speaker 1: number survey. They're estimating that two point six million stock 20 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:03,480 Speaker 1: units have been lost to a forestation since twenty seventeen. 21 00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:06,920 Speaker 1: And they're saying that despite the argument from some in 22 00:01:06,959 --> 00:01:10,959 Speaker 1: the forestry industry, or the carbon farming industry. A forestation 23 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:14,760 Speaker 1: is responsible for seventy eight percent of the total reduction 24 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:19,360 Speaker 1: in sheep and beef stock numbers since twenty seventeen. Heither 25 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:22,920 Speaker 1: and that leads onto the story about what Federated farmers 26 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:25,520 Speaker 1: are on about at the moment regarding the report back 27 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:26,120 Speaker 1: to Parliament. 28 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:28,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, they say the government isn't going far enough when 29 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:31,280 Speaker 2: it comes to banning the pines taking over productive farmland. 30 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:32,679 Speaker 2: What do they want the government to do? 31 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:35,520 Speaker 1: Well, go a bit further, be a bit tougher on 32 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:39,160 Speaker 1: the legislation. I don't know whether and I suggested this 33 00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:41,880 Speaker 1: to Wayne Langthord, the President today on my show, whether 34 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:45,680 Speaker 1: the forestry spokesman who's also the new sheep and beef 35 00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:48,200 Speaker 1: spokesman he took over from Toby Williams. I know that 36 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:50,240 Speaker 1: you spoke to Toby. He was the guy and behind 37 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:55,000 Speaker 1: to save our sheep campaign. Well, Richard Dawkins said, many 38 00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:57,560 Speaker 1: farmers will be feeling a total sense of betrayal. That 39 00:01:57,640 --> 00:02:00,080 Speaker 1: might be over egging it a week, but he did say, 40 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:03,279 Speaker 1: looked there's one silver lining. They've tightened the rules around 41 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:06,680 Speaker 1: the silly intent to plant tests. So what they were 42 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:11,119 Speaker 1: saying when they announced these restrictions at the early December 43 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:14,760 Speaker 1: last year was if you had some seedlings and you 44 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:16,960 Speaker 1: could prove that you'd bought them or an invoice, you 45 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:19,680 Speaker 1: could go ahead and plant. They're now saying tough. If 46 00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:22,440 Speaker 1: you had the seedlings seedlings with no land to plant 47 00:02:22,440 --> 00:02:26,160 Speaker 1: them on, that doesn't count as a clear intent to plant. 48 00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:29,480 Speaker 1: I think what our Federated farmers are disappointed about heather. 49 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:33,920 Speaker 1: In fact, to quote them extremely disappointed, is that the 50 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:39,560 Speaker 1: ban whole farm conversions only applies to land use capability 51 00:02:39,560 --> 00:02:42,800 Speaker 1: classes one to five. That's the good land. Okay, So 52 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:45,760 Speaker 1: the fads are saying, in reality, that's only about twelve 53 00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:48,840 Speaker 1: percent of farm conversions were happening on that land. Anyhow, 54 00:02:49,639 --> 00:02:52,880 Speaker 1: Dawkins said two thirds of sheep and beef farms are 55 00:02:52,919 --> 00:02:57,720 Speaker 1: on classes six and seven land, that legislation doesn't apply 56 00:02:57,880 --> 00:03:00,600 Speaker 1: to them. They can go one hundred percent if they 57 00:03:00,639 --> 00:03:04,120 Speaker 1: want to. Federated farmers argue that every single farm in 58 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:07,160 Speaker 1: the country should be subject to the same twenty five 59 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:11,320 Speaker 1: percent carbon credit limit, no matter what it's l uc 60 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:14,520 Speaker 1: rating is. So there you go. The Feds and the 61 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:16,600 Speaker 1: foresters are fighting. 62 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:18,799 Speaker 2: Yeah very much. So Hey, thanks very much, Jamie, talk 63 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:20,519 Speaker 2: to you again next week. That's Jamie mckaie, host of 64 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:21,079 Speaker 2: the Country. 65 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:24,760 Speaker 1: For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to 66 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:27,919 Speaker 1: news talks they'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow 67 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:29,720 Speaker 1: the podcast on iHeartRadio.