FAR Chairman, David Birkett, says the Board decision to increase the levy was not taken lightly, but that it is essential if FAR is to meet the evolving needs of the industry. "Over the last year, growers have consistently advised us that environmental compliance is the key challenge for their cropping enterprises. FAR has already invested significantly in a range of projects that provide tools to assist our growers comply and also provide accurate, up to date data to assist policy makers. Amongst these projects are a review of Overseer® on cropping farms, research into nutrient management in cropping rotations, the development of a Farm Environment Plan Template for Cropping Enterprises and the further development of the on-line recording tool ProductionWise®. “

"However, as councils introduce environmental compliance into their regional plans, the need for more and better data is increasing and FAR must do more work to ensure that regulation is based on sound research and that growers will have access to the information they need to comply.”

"The recent biosecurity incursions, particularly velvetleaf and pea weevil, have also highlighted the urgent need for investment in new research to reduce the impact of incursions. This research could be on other crop options, management plans or on new techniques to detect weeds and pests. "

Birkett says that new crops is another area which has been discussed a lot recently. "The dairy downturn has highlighted the vulnerability of many cropping farms which have relied on dairy farmers to buy their grain. New crops research will investigate a range of options for crop and end user diversification, by seeking opportunities for New Zealand farmers to grow new crops, and looking for new domestic and international markets for existing ones.”

He adds that investing this additional levy will enable FAR to better direct and leverage extra funds for national and regional projects with other sectors in order to get the best research outcomes in areas crucial for the arable industry.