Tony Orman: The disastrous conversion of Fertile Agricultural Land into Pine Monocultures

What are the motives?

New Zealand was once a land of productive farms and independent food producers, but it is quietly – insidiously – being taken over by pine monocultures, fast growing water-sapping pine monocultures.

What lies behind the green curtain of ever-expanding pine forests energised by New Zealand’s illogical, irrational carbon trading scheme where once highly productive sheep and beef farms are planted in unmanaged, neglected forests.

Todd McClay: Legislation introduced to restrict farm-to-forest conversions

Today Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay introduced long awaited legislation that will put a stop to large-scale farm-to-forestry conversions – delivering on a key election promise to protect the future of New Zealand food production.

“For too long, productive sheep and beef farms have been replaced by pine trees in the race for carbon credits. That ends under this Government,” Mr McClay says.