increase font size
Rotorua Farmers bracing for rule changes.
PASTORAL FARMERS in the Lake Rotorua catchment await with trepidation the outcome of new rules on the amount of nitrogen they will be able to leach from their land.
Federated Farmers President for Rotorua/Taupo Alan Wills says dairy farmers in the catchment tell him they expect to have to farm differently when the rules take effect next year.
Bay of Plenty Regional Council has a set of rules out for consultation, on which submissions will close shortly, leading to a final version next March or April.
Wills says the many lifestyle farmers living in the catchment weren’t aware the proposed rules would affect them. Under the proposed rules dairy farmers are allocated a nitrogen discharge allowance of 35 units, dry-stock farmers 13 and lifestylers (2-40ha) 10 units. Lifestylers are getting a shock as they discover the changes they will have to make to meet the new requirements.
Says Wills, “This issue has been going on for a long time and even into the late 1960s when an American named Dr Fish described Lake Rotorua as ‘an unflushed toilet’. For many reasons it is a complicated catchment where 2.5m of rain falls and this combined with free draining pumice soils and the rolling contour of the land add to the problem.
Most of the dairy farmers have made changes to reduce their nutrient loss since 2007 when rule 11 was implemented and there has been a reduction of stocking rates and feed pads have gone in.”
Wills says dairy farmers are well aware of the issue and recognise the need to ‘farm within limits’. He hopes the issue with lifestyle farmers can be settled amicably but accepts there is tension between them and the dairy farmers.
The regional council will have to take into account the effects of the rules on the ‘economic and social fabric’ on the region around Lake Rotorua and the city itself.
This year’s Fieldays will feature a Rural Advocacy Hub - bringing together various rural organisations who are advocating for farmers and championing their interests as one team, under one roof, for the first time.
Farmers have been airing their concerns to the Government over changes to the Accredited Employer Work Visa scheme.
Southland farmers are welcoming moves by the Government to repeal intensive winter grazing rules.
A new report shows farm employers across the dairy, sheep and beef, and arable sectors have continued to invest strongly in one of their greatest assets – their staff.
Federated Farmers says changes announced to the Resource Management Act today mark the end of the war on farming.
Trade Minister Todd McClay says New Zealand has no intention of backing down in a trade dispute with Canada over dairy products.
There have been leadership changes at the Hamilton-based Dairy Goat Co-operative, which has been struggling financially in recent years.
Horticulture NZ chief executive Nadine Tunley will step down in August.
OPINION: In recent years farmers have been crying foul of unworkable and expensive regulations.
Another 16 commercial beef farmers have been selected to take part in the Informing New Zealand Beef (INZB) programme designed to help drive the uptake of genetics in the industry.
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Kiwi exporters will be $100 million better off today as the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) comes into force.
OPINION: Canterbury milk processor Synlait is showing no sign of bouncing back from its financial doldrums.
OPINION: It seems every bugger in this country can get an award these days.
