Horizons’ One Plan still in limbo
Dairy farmers wanting new consents from Horizons Regional Council (HRC) look set to struggle to meet the new criteria for these.
SHARON SHANNON and her husband Bevan are organic dairy farmers near Ekatahuna. They run 370 cows on their 140ha farm.
Sharon says they have lowered stock numbers, done riparian planting and use no nitrogen based fertiliser, but they will still require a ‘discretionary resource consent’ to continue farming.
“Not a day goes by when One Plan is not mentioned, mulled over as to what we do, and how it will impact our business and our lives and the lives of our children.”
Obtaining a discretionary consent will cost more money but will not bring any more certainty – a major concern, she says. “Even though they say they’ll issue a discretionary consent it still means you are at the mercy of Horizons. If I want to change anything within my farming system I have to go back to them and ask for permission to make the changes and get a new plan.
“They haven’t even told me how long my discretionary consent will be for. How can you make long terms plans for your business if you don’t know what the implications will be of the One Plan?”
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A Taupiri farming company has been convicted and fined $52,500 in the Hamilton District Court for the unlawful discharge of dairy effluent into the environment.
The Climate Change Commission’s 2025 emissions reduction monitoring report reveals steady progress on the reduction of New Zealand’s climate pollution.
Another milestone has been reached in the fight against Mycoplasma bovis with the compensation assistance service being wound up after helping more than 1300 farmers.
The Government’s directive for state farmer Landcorp Farming (trading as Pamu) to lifts its performance is yielding results.
The move to bring bovine TB testing in-house at Ospri officially started this month, as a team of 37 skilled and experienced technicians begin work with the disease eradication agency.
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