To John Key from Ken M 4 July 2010

Dear Mr Key,
                       I am a farmer on the East Cape and am growing increasingly concerned about your stance over the Emissions Trading Scheme. Every farmer I talk to at the weekly sale is vehemently against it and are talking of never supporting National again and voting Act as the only practical way of showing there disapproval. This may not concern you at the moment but after 9 years of continuing frustration with Clarkes socialist government the voting public does in fact have a functioning memory and they are not in the mood to tolerate governments who think they know best.
 
    Nick Smith must think we are stupid if he thinks we would plant pine trees on our farms so that we could claim carbon  credits which would have to be largely repaid on the harvest of the forest.In other words he is expecting us rely on dubious returns from forestry to survive and keep paying our mortgage and increasing farm costs.
 
     Despite massive support ( read subsidy ) forestry is struggling to survive because of world prices/demand and competition from superior product overseas. I have small radiata plantations which are uneconomical to harvest because of the cost of extraction and transport to the nearest mill - your actions in pursueing this ridiculous piece of legislation are only ensuring  that I will inform as many people as possible of the ongoing effects to them personally.
 
     In my opinion you are being most unwise to rely on Peter Gluckman for advice as it is not his specialty field and he seems to
only listen to NIWA who seem to have their own agenda.
 
     I repeat again my plea that you don't continue down this path as you are seriously eroding the goodwill you have gained since the last election and are endangering the chance you have of finally getting this country onto the right track.
                      
yours sincerely,
                                 
Ken M
 
PS   Keep up the support of Anne Tolley as she is doing a good job  with the National standards and needs all the help she can get.
 
 
 
To read Nick Smith's reply click here
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