Friday, March 29, 2024

ALTERNATIVE VIEW: Raided farmer feels like a crim

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The pea saga has taken a turn for the worse in Wairarapa with Primary Industries Ministry staff taking their gloves off.
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Simon Perry is a local farmer who grows peas. Last season he harvested 26 hectares in three paddocks. The land was then drilled with a plantain-clover mix for his hoggets’ lambing feed.

Those hoggets are well into lambing and feeding on the plantain and clover.

On Wednesday September 7 he was phoned by MPI staff who said they had a report he had three paddocks of peas, which he denied.

As any farmer knows, harvesting isn’t exact and whatever the seed you’re harvesting some is inevitably left behind.

On most occasions the crop following peas is grass that will have been well grazed by now. In Simon’s case some peas had sprouted and he’d sprayed them before grazing.

On Friday September 9, just two days after the phone call a squad of five MPI staff from Wellington accompanied by a local cop arrived unannounced with a search warrant.

He offered to show them the paddocks. They told him there was a process they were working through.

They pulled his computers apart and checked his phone and his wife’s Ipad.

He believed it was a fishing expedition. They didn’t know what they were after but were convinced he’d planted peas.

He had detailed records of planting and spraying that were in a notebook that they took. They never asked for invoices or other records.

He was told while he’d been co-operative anything he said could be used in evidence against him. They told him he could get a lawyer.

They finally went to the paddocks and took some photos. They were in the plantain and clover paddock but didn’t know what it was.

Perry said “They didn’t understand harvesting and were totally clueless about anything agricultural.

“They needed ag 101. There were some second growth peas in the plantain and clover that I’d sprayed well before MPI arrived.

“They suggested to me that I’d have to plough the paddock.

“They (MPI) didn’t understand harvesting and were totally clueless about anything agricultural.”

Simon Perry

Farmer

“Ploughing is not an option and would create a major animal health issue.

‘I’m really pissed off about this – being made to feel like a criminal. It was a very hurtful experience.

“MPI arrived with no warning at around 10.30am and departed at 2pm.”

Perry is a good farmer farming 7500 stock units. He is heavily involved with the community.

If MPI had phoned him and asked if they could look at his paddocks I can’t imagine him not agreeing. We’re all trying to get rid of the pea weevil.

The MPI approach was no way to encourage farmer co-operation.

While not being happy with his treatment at the hands of MPI, Perry was extremely grateful for the support he received from AsureQuality. Its approach was to consult and advise, not to threaten.

They wanted to know his grazing management then offered to visit, which was gratefully accepted.

He arranged for an agronomist to be there as well.

“It was a big relief, someone working with me to get a result,” Perry said.

“Our back-up will be to either spot spray or getting the rugby club to rogue the paddocks.

“The closest weevil to me is well over 5km away with the prevailing wind blowing away from us.

“Asure understood farming, MPI didn’t have a clue. If they’re charged with border security they need more people who understand agriculture.

“All MPI are doing is trying to demonstrate they’re fixing a problem after they’ve failed at the border.”

I spoke to Steve Ham the investigations manager for the central region asking him why the search warrant.

His response was it was “to lawfully enter the property and gather evidence”. And “If we’d just turned up he could have asked us to leave and destroy evidence”.

The MPI team were “trained investigators” and the reason Perry’s computer was copied was to “ascertain if he’d received MPI emails about peas”.

The reality is Perry would not kick MPI off his property or destroy evidence. How practically could he destroy evidence – immediately plough 26 hectares?

Peas in a paddock are quite different from a boot-load of paua. The search warrant was totally over the top.

Second, you can be a “trained investigator” but if you don’t know you’re in a paddock of plantain you’ve got problems.

Third, emails in Perry’s part of the country are notoriously unreliable.

Finally, everyone wants pea weevil eliminated, Perry included. It needs to be a co-operative approach not a dictatorial one.

I’m also concerned the Perry incident could have been a stunt to demonstrate MPI was actually doing something.

To quote Feds chief William Rolleston, “Engage not enrage”.

There needs to be a lot more engagement from MPI and a far greater understanding of farmers and farming.

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