Motives for protest ‘perplexing’ for some

THE frustration and fear of change is understandable, but our leadership has ostensibly protected us from the Covid19 virus, the unemployment rate is low, and the economy reasonably sound. It must be perplexing for the less privileged to understand the motivations behind this protest by members of a very fortunate group of business people in our society.

Farm gate prices are as good as they have been for a decade, inflation is low (the cost of a 4x4 ute is pretty much what it was in 2011), and there has been help for natural disasters, droughts, animal health problems, and Covid19 has provided a wage subsidy.

The Labour Government may be working outside the scope of its election promises, but then along came Covid19 with huge economic and cultural disruptions, and climate perturbations arrived. Thousands are dying in the United States of America and Canada from heat, hundreds are dying in Europe as a result of severe flooding, and we are having severe climate effects here now, with Westport, parts of Marlborough, and latterly South Canterbury.

This will not get better as vacillations between drought and flood are predicted.

The Government is showing some leadership by trying, among other things, to cut carbon loss, improve our critically polluted fresh waters (recent research has established that nitrogen levels are critically affecting human health), and identify and protect the last few ecologically important sites on private land.

Some reflection around steps to retain a future for children and grandchildren would be more beneficial than reactionary protest responses.

David Blair Port Chalmers

TRULY a most impressive lineup of new and latemodel tractors and farming equipment on display in the farmers’ parades around the country last week.

They do seem to be doing very well, to be able to afford such highquality, highpriced equipment. I suppose not investing in measures to prevent the pollution of waterways, or the mitigation of the dangers of humaninduced climate change, leaves them with a lot of surplus profits to expend on such items. A few more clappedout tractors might have made their ‘‘protest’’ a bit more credible. Methinks they ‘‘protesteth too much’’, eh?

Clyde Scott Birkenhead, Auckland

NEW Zealand's ‘‘bread basket’’ has been farming since Adam was a lad and it's fair to say farming has kept New Zealand's head above water this last year or so in the stricken world we now live in. To that end, for some people that makes this area of our economy sacrosanct. It isn't.

The whole approach to farming practice, water conservation and quality and an ecologically driven narrative will have to change. If, in 50 years we are growing pineapples here in Dunedin I would suspect that farming as is had not been viable for quite some time.

As for the ‘‘howl of anguish’’ that paraded through the city last Friday, I was a little surprised at one thing. Not that I expected cockies to turn up in 1967 Massey Ferguson or 1955 Fordson tractors, but tractors parked up in the Octagon would have been worth in the vicinity of $2 million alone — doesn't imply an impoverished profession to me.

Graham Bulman Roslyn

I SEE some angry farmers are driving their gasguzzling trucks, utes and tractors around the cities of Aotearoa.

I think they are making the point that anyone who needs to drive these globalwarming machines around really ought to be paying more to help clean up the mess.

Ewan McDougall Broad Bay