Farmers given free-pass - taxpayers pick up the tab

It's entirely unsurprising that National have granted farmers exemption from paying their ETS bills and have instead passed the $80 million tab to the general taxpayer.
It's exactly what was expected.
Ordinary New Zealanders can surely afford the extra $80 million - after all, these are good times economically, aren't they? We've all got oodles of cash lying about waiting to be spent on someone else's behalf, haven't we?
Why should the farming community, by their own admission flush with cash in these times of great demand for their goods, have to pay for the bill that they are racking-up?
Joe Public can pick up that tab, according to Mr Key.
Sound fair to you?

Go Organic

My next engagement is speaking to the Agriculture New Zealand 'Go Organic' group on Wednesday night. I've spoken to classes of students taking this course over several years and it's always surprising to me how various they are, both in age and in background. In general, they seem to be ordinary Southlanders who are taking their gardening a step further into organics and I like to take the opportunity to try to lever them a little further still toward permaculture and some of the other food-growing, soil management practices that we employ out here on our land. It's always a fun group to talk with.