Invercargill MP and Environment Minister Penny Simmonds has called for calm as Federated Farmers Southland (FFS) rally local farmers to boycott Southland Fish & Game and remove fishing access across their land, following the defeat of an Environment Southland (ES) appeal in the Court of Appeal.

ES mounted appeals in both the High and Appeals Courts in response to an earlier Environment Court appeal - successfully brought by Forest & Bird and Fish & Game - which could see resource consents being required under Section 70 of the Resource Management Act, for incidental diffuse discharges from farming activities (e.g. animal urine).

ES unsuccessfully argued that incidental diffuse discharges might be allowed under Rule 24 of the Southland Water and Land Plan, mitigating the need for a resource consent.

FFS said the Court of Appeal decision could see up to 3000 Southland farmers now having to apply for a resource consent to keep farming lawfully.

FFS president Jason Herrick said Southland Fish & Game had been one of the main groups pushing for the decision, "which is an absolute kick in the guts for farmers down here."

"We’re fed up with Southland Fish & Game’s persistent, belligerent anti-farming rhetoric and their opposition to everything we do."

"We’ve tried our best to maintain our relationship with them, but they’ve washed that relationship away down the Mataura River."

"We’re now calling for local farmers to join us in boycotting fishing licences and to remove fishing access by taking down access signs."

"Farmers have always allowed anglers to walk across their land as a gesture of goodwill but, unfortunately, that goodwill has been completely eroded by Southland Fish & Game," Herrick said.

Herrick said the Southland boycott had come on top of a raft of challenges from Fish & Game, including gravel management and management of flooding in the Waituna Lagoon area.

"It’s the last straw and we’re now taking action."

"Southland Fish & Game are using licence funds against farmers and against all New Zealanders by making land use so difficult."

"They've destroyed the goodwill of farmers - and we've had enough," Herrick said.

Southland Fish and Game manager Zane Moss said it was disappointing that Southland Federated Farmers were using this issue to limit access for everyday New Zealanders wanting to catch some fish to unwind or for the dinner table.

"Southland Fish & Game works to manage and protect fish and game bird species and their habitats."

"As part of this work Southland Fish & Game was involved in an Environment Court case where it gave evidence as did other parties, including Federated Farmers."

"Based on the evidence, the Court concluded our rivers were significantly degraded by diffuse discharges, and that the rules in the proposed Southland Water and Land Plan weren't sufficiently robust to ensure that it didn't continue," Moss said.

Moss said they worked closely with farmers across the region and understood the challenges they faced.

"The Federated Farmers comments don’t reflect our experiences of working constructively with Southland farmers."

"Environment Southland should put effective rules in place around the riskiest practices so all farmers are not required to seek consents," Moss said.

Invercargill MP, and Environment Minister, Penny Simmonds has called for calm over the recent Court of Appeal decision, saying that the Government has got farmers' backs.

“I want to reassure farmers that it’s our intention to address this situation through RMA amendments over the coming months – this is not what the RMA is about and we cannot have farmers left to deal with these unworkable rules."

“This is certainly something that I, as Environment Minister, and my other Resource Management Ministerial colleagues are aware of, and will be addressing."

“The decisions on sections 70 and 107 of the RMA threaten to make the law unworkable by reducing councils’ ability to manage discharges from a range of activities and it needs to be fixed."

“People should also be aware that the Court of Appeal decision is not immediate and will be unlikely to affect farmers for some time, as the matter has been sent back to the Environment Court.”