Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Council rejects claim plan will greatly increase farm costs

Updated at 3:31 pm on 16 November 2012

Manawatu Wanganui Regional Council rejects a suggestion that farm costs will substantially increase if its One Plan is implemented.

Chairman Bruce Gordon says a report by Landcare Research, which the Ministry for Primary Industries commissioned, analyses different farm policy options in the region.

He says claims in the report that farm costs could increase by between 22% - 43% if the council's One Plan is implemented, do not reflect the Environment Court decision which ruled in favour of the plan going ahead.

Mr Gordon says it's disturbing that misinformation can be issued by an organisation which is then not held accountable for it.

He says Manawatu Wanganui Regional Council was not consulted about the Landcare Research report.

"That also gives us cause for concern that they haven't been in touch with us to talk about what it is that they're modelling, who they were doing it for, we got no heads up on it whatsoever," he said.

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