A sheep and beef farmer living near Lawrence, Otago, says forestry companies are doing too little to control the pigs and deer that damage farms neighbouring forestry blocks.
Jim Crawford said about 15km his farm fenceline borders forestry blocks owned by Wenita, Ernslaw, Rayonier and Port Blakely.
Pigs living in forestry blocks adjacent to his land destroy as much as half a hectare of pasture per week, he said.
He has to be very selective where he plants swedes, as large deer herds destroy swedes.
Federated Farmers said in Farmers Weekly last week that goats, pigs, deer and other wild animals cost farmers about $213 million a year.
Crawford said during a meeting organised by Lawrence police between farmers and forestry companies that it became clear that some forestry companies do not accept responsibility for managing their boundaries.
He posted about the topic on Facebook. By September 10 the post had received 107 likes, had 29 comments and was shared 137 times.
At the Lawrence meeting landowners said trees in forestry blocks were planted too close to boundary fences, and that firebreaks were overgrown with gorse and broom with no real management.
Crawford said he knew of two incidents where hunters who pursued pigs from their property onto forestry blocks were trespassed.
It isn’t neighbourly to trespass a neighbour when you know their paddocks were “ripped up”, he said.
Forestry owners cited health and safety issues to keep hunters off their land, he said.
Crawford said forestry blocks often change ownership and some owners inherit a pest problem, but companies seem unwilling to offer solutions.
“I think they’ve got to put a lot more groundwork in. It’s too big an issue to expect recreational hunters to get on top of.”
He was particularly frustrated with Rayonier and Wenita, saying Wenita contacted him only after he posted about his frustrations on Facebook.
He confirmed that Port Blakely contacted him directly after the meeting and undertook to drive his boundary fence to assess the situation.
Regional manager for Rayonier Matariki Forests Hamish Fitzgerald said they take relationships with the farming community and neighbours very seriously.
“We are actively working with stakeholders in the local Lawrence community to review and collaboratively resolve any concerns,” Fitzgerald said .
He did not answer questions from Farmer’s Weekly about what actions Rayonier takes to control pest populations or how it manages boundaries with farms.
South Island regional manager for Port Blakely Barry Wells said the weren’t aware of the scale of the problem until the recent meeting in Lawrence
“The frustration from the local farming community is understandable. For animals such as pigs which are highly mobile, there may need to be a co-ordinated pest control effort between landowners to get on top of the problem, as opposed to just pushing it somewhere else,” Wells said.
Since the Lawrence meeting Port Blakely has been working with a hunting club to provide preferential access to Lawrence forest blocks with a view to knocking pig and deer numbers back.
Wells said they will work with neighbouring landowners to control pests on their properties.
“There are various options available, such as contract hunters, night/thermal shooting, poisoning and helicopter shooting, but not all may work or be suitable for each situation.”
Over the coming weeks he will be visiting neighbours who contacted him, to address pest and fencing issues. He urged landowners to contact him.
Wells said a memorandum of understanding between Federated Farmers, the Forest Owners Association and the New Zealand Farm Forestry Association addressed many of the issues.
The MoU addresses responsibilities under the Fencing Act, and addresses setbacks and pest control and expectations for both farmers and forestry companies.
The MoU is not legally binding.
Wells said many cases require a tailored plan.
“Some issues we are dealing with are legacy issues, such as trees originally planted too close to boundaries. As the current landowners, we take responsibility for these historic issues.”
Wenita and Ernslaw have not responded to questions from Farmers Weekly.
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