Federated Farmers Southland are calling for the Government to strip Fish & Game of their advocacy function and refocus the organisation on the management of hunting and fishing.

"Fish & Game are a statutory body but in some parts of the country they’re acting like an environmental activist group," Federated Farmers Southland president Jason Herrick says.

"As an organisation they’ve gotten so far away from their core purpose of managing, maintaining, and enhancing sports fish, game birds and their habitats.

"Farmers are sick of their obstructive behaviour, unnecessary litigation, and anti-farming rhetoric - and so are everyday hunters and fishers who just want to enjoy their sport.

"Unfortunately, Fish & Game’s advocacy positions, particularly in Southland, are increasingly at odds with the views of most reasonable hunting and fishing licence holders."

Federated Farmers say many farmers are keen hunters and fishers themselves, and are more than happy to pay an annual licence fee to support the important work Fish & Game do.

This includes assessing and monitoring species populations, maintaining and improving habitats, and promoting hunting and fishing activities.

"All of that good work is completely undermined by the advocacy positions Fish & Game takes, which is why we are asking for that function to be completely removed," Herrick says.

"As a farmer, and a fisher, it’s incredibly frustrating to see money raised through a compulsory licence fee used to fund political activism and litigation that I fundamentally disagree with.

"The issue is that if you want to hunt or fish, you need to buy a licence. You’ve got no choice but to fund their activism and court action - that’s why I no longer fish despite loving the sport."

Recent examples include Fish & Game Southland opposing resource consents for things like the opening of the Waituna Lagoon and the extraction of gravel from clogged waterways.

Fish & Game have also taken unnecessary court action that will require more than 3000 Southland farmers to get expensive resource consents for no environmental gain.

This has led Federated Farmers Southland to call for a boycott of Fish & Game in the province and for farmers to withhold fishing access across their land.

"For generations farmers have allowed hunters onto our properties, or for fishers to walk across private land to access fishing spots, as a gesture of goodwill," Herrick says.

"Unfortunately, that goodwill has been completely eroded by the political activism of Southland Fish & Game. That’s why droves of farmers are now denying fishing access.

"While I appreciate this will be frustrating for many of Southland’s fishermen, who are generally very decent salt-of-the-earth people, Fish & Game have left us no other option.

"We now need Southland’s fishing community to stand with farmers and let Fish & Game know that enough is enough. The obstructive litigation and anti-farming advocacy needs to stop."

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