Feds issue plea to media

"I would like to make a special plea to the media on behalf of farmers," says the Feds' Dairy chairperson. "That is for media to invest time to understand what modern dairying is and more importantly, what it is not."

But Leferink also says dairy farmers know they must lift their game on water quality, and farming sustainably is the way ahead – but facts not slogans are needed in the public domain.

"Federated Farmers will make it possible for the media to get on-farm. I know the science of what we do can be hard for the media to portray, let alone when consents, polices and systems are added to the mix....

"That extends to water science where our industry-good body, DairyNZ, is doing fantastic work in 14 catchments. Having met some of their water quality scientists the calibre of talent they have is truly impressive. While water quality scientists, they are also true communicators.

"With water, we need to realise there is no 'one shoe fits all' solution. Each catchment faces different issues demanding different solutions to those issues. We know in Rotorua that the formula, Councils+Farmers+Community = Results, works."

Leferink says the Feds are proud to join the dairy industry's collective effort, the Sustainable Dairying: Water Accord, to lift dairying's overall freshwater performance. It forms part of a cogent strategy that could see dairying double its export value by 2025.

"Federated Farmers' signature on the new water accord is the individual farmer's commitment to do all we can to protect the water quality in our streams and rivers," says Leferink.

"As dairy farmers we have to lift our game on water quality. If we want to meet the aspirations we have as an industry. If we want to meet government expectations and earn the respect of the wider community, then farming sustainably is the way ahead.

"As Federated Farmers we know that success won't be measured by our leading farmers or even those in the peloton. It will hinge on how we can successfully lift the farming and environmental performance of our lower performing farmers.

"Those two go hand-in-hand because livestock thrive only with good quality water."

However Leferink says it is not all down to the dairy farmers. "To succeed we need a joined-up effort made up of councils, dairy companies, fertiliser companies in concert with local businesses and local communities."