Andrew Hoggard: Speech to ACT Rally 2025

Eighteen months ago, when we came into government, farmer confidence was at an all-time low, driven by not only high inflation – which in turn creates high interest rates – but also a multitude of green tape from SNAs to over-the-top farm plans that apparently needed an understanding of the Treaty to write. On top of that, there were a number of freshwater regulations that basically sucked the fun out of farming but, more importantly, made making investments into future growth a no-go option.