Federated Farmers Podcast
The Federated Farmers Podcast is your weekly guide to the issues affecting rural New Zealand. Join us as we unpack the policies, challenges and big ideas shaping life on farm. With frank conversations from farmers, advocates and experts, we break down what matters and why, so you can stay informed, prepared and heard. Hosted by Ben Chapman-Smith.
Federated Farmers Podcast
Carbon forestry crisis – the view from Southland | EP 49
Carbon forestry is spreading fast, and the impacts are becoming impossible to ignore for farmers in regions like Southland. In this episode, we’re joined by Dean Rabbidge, Southland Federated Farmers meat & wool chair, to talk about what he’s seeing on the ground.
He describes the heartbreak of whole, highly productive farms being converted into pine plantations, and rural towns slowly hollowing out.
He explains how the rise of carbon forestry is affecting local communities, contractors, shearers, and processors – and why it’s a serious threat to the red meat sector.
We also dig into the Government’s promises to rein in carbon forestry, what’s actually being delivered, and what policy changes are urgently needed to stop the damage.