The Southland President of Federated Farmers has made the journey up for a free beer and a feed of Heartland Chips.
Jason Herrick, president of Federated Farmers in Southland. You've come all the way up here to join us today to be a guest, and you don't even drink beer anymore. That's why you're such a true man these days. Jason.
Yeah, no, I used to love a good drop back in the day, but yeah, I've taken a leap to better health, and you know, a few health issues will cause that direction change. But yeah, no, I wouldn't miss this for the world, the opportunity to come and sit in front of you and speak to you live Jamie.
Well, talking about your personal health. How's your blood pressure been recently? Because you've been scraping with Fish and Game in Southland and the rest of the country is looking at what's happening. What's all this about?
Hey, I'm just pointing out the reality that's going on down there right and you know, Fish and Game are pretty much identifying themselves as that environmental activist group that they are and causing all sorts of issues that are costing the rappayers and taxpayers, you know, thousands, if not millions of dollars.
So where's it going to end?
Where's it going to end?
Are you going to do a trump if you don't win this one.
Oh you know, we're going to keep the pressure on until we do win this one, right And because at the end of the day, they are lining themselves up to be the group that they are and causing all sorts of problems. And like I use the word arrogant very much within you know, a very I don't know what you call it. Really the word escapes me. But they won't take ownership for anything that they do. You know, there's always excuses. I met with them yesterday morning with our local MP to discuss matters and it was just lay the blame game and wouldn't discuss and basically we left that meeting to agree to disagree.
Well there you go. It is fishing season of course started on Tiber the first, didn't it. In Southland has some great brown trout fishing rivers, namely the Matara River which is world famous. Are farmers heeding your call and blocking access for the anglers?
Yeah, majority of them are have been in contact with me, but not just the farmers, but the hunting and the fishes as well. Because at the end of the day, fishing game don't have a mandate to speak for hunters and fishes, right, They don't. The hunters and fishes are just as annoyed as what farmers are, and they can't understand the stants that fishing game are taking. So you know, we've got a lot of support, not just in South but right around the country.
Okay, let's just finish on your season in South. And I know we've been talking a lot about this. August was passable, September was awful. I thought once we got into October we'd be right. It was goddamn awful as well. Even November hasn't started that well, although you're looking forward to a better week this week. And I've lived a lot of my life down there. I've got a lot of farmer mates down there and they all tell me this is the worst spring in living memory.
Oh hey, look, Saturday just been at home was a case in point really where we had four seasons and one day where we had hail, snow, rain, sunshine, you know, the whole lot. But it is very, very wet down there, and it brings back to the attention on fish and game, and that late US called of appeal decision. Not one farmer in South and would have metal consent conditions through that wet period because of the discharged the waterways. And you know that that's how silly the whole whole situation, not.
Not to mention what David Parker was trying to do in the last government. Don't start me on that. Hey, Jason Herrick, you go and enjoy I was going to go and say, enjoy a chip sandwich. You can't because.
If you're gluten and tolerant, but definitely can enjoy the chips though, Yeah, gluten free chips, Yep, good stuff.