UK farmers move to New Zealand to avoid bureaucracy
June 04 2009 by Bryan Palmer
New Zealand: an attractive alternative?
The case of Jim and Anita Sharrratt is typical of many farmers who are feeling disillusioned with the UK government and the economy.
Cumbrian-based Jim and Anita have made the decision to give up their life in the UK and move to New Zealand and set up a business.
The Sharratts and their three children decided to move their agrarian business to the other side of the world and sold their livestock, car, sheep dog and farming machinery to live the dream.
The family is now looking forward to a new life in a country with a better climate, a more prosperous economy and a better quality of life.
The couple had finally had enough when their tenant farm became certified as a ‘nitrate vulnerable zone’, resulting in a bill for £50,000 to fit a new slurry tank and bring their farm up to necessary standards.
Jim Sharratt says the red tape in the UK farming industry led to the decision to move to New Zealand. He says, “all the regulations have forced us to move…I won’t miss all the paperwork or regulations. There is less paperwork out there.”
Mr Sharratt already works in New Zealand for several weeks every year as a scanner of pregnant sheep. His employers have asked him many times to emigrate to New Zealand as there is a skill shortage in his industry.
Sharratt says that conditions for farmers are better in New Zealand as the government makes more money from the industry. He explains, “they know farmers are the biggest asset so they do what they can to help – it’s the country’s main income. It seems to be the opposite with the government here.”
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