Farmers fear new forestry plantings on sheep and beef farmland are removing jobs from rural communities.

Beef and Lamb is concerned 70 thousand hectares of trees are going in a year, to meet zero carbon targets.

Chairman Andrew Morrison told Mike Hosking sheep and beef farming produces 7.4 jobs compared with forestry's 2.2 jobs and 5.1 at harvest.

He says we are sleepwalking into disaster.

"Can you imagine what New Zealand looks like in the future with the continued planting of pine trees?

"Modelling shows we will have 5.1 million hectares in pine trees, I don't think that is the solution New Zealander's are after."

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