Agriculture Not Mentioned
Tuesday 27 Aug 2002 Gerry Eckhoff Press Releases -- Rural
Agriculture was not even mentioned "in despatches' when the Prime Minister wrote her speech from the throne for the
Governor General, ACT Rural Affairs Spokesman Gerry Eckhoff said today.
"The Government has yet again deliberately snubbed rural New Zealand and its contribution to the New Zealand economy.
This must emphasise the indifference this government has to the goose that lays the New Zealand golden eggs. The
influence of Jim Sutton as Minister is obviously very limited or even ignored.
"The dynamic industries within rural New Zealand do not expect too much from this Government yet a thank you for a job
well done would have been appreciated. No other industry is capable of producing enough income to fund the Government's
social programmes. How else does the Government expect to fund huge increases in health and social spending?
"The Prime Minister's reward for the economy's biggest contributor is to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, a move that can
only harm the productive sector.
"The Minister Jim Sutton should hang his head in shame at his inability to elevate land-based industries to a level
where they receive appropriate recognition," Mr Eckhoff said.
For more information visit ACT online at http://www.act.org.nz or contact the ACT Parliamentary Office at
act@parliament.govt.nz.