The differences between countries in terms of regulation and governmental support cropped up on occasion during the day. When IFA president Francie Gorman called for more money to go towards the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Kylie Leonard, a dairy farmer from New Zealand, reminded him that she doesn’t have the option to look for more financial supports and instead is reliant on the marketplace.
“I think it’s great that you guys have subsidies but we need to think globally. I can’t put my hand up in New Zealand and look for more money in New Zealand.”
Highlighting that working with farmers rather just regulating them saw improvements in water quality in New Zealand, she said: “We had a problem with water and got some support as we needed to reduce nitrogen levels in water by 20% over 20 years. By getting together with farmers, we managed to do that in eight years.”
Key to that success was that it was more about working with farmers rather than regulating them, she said.
SHARING OPTIONS