‘Comments were misrepresented’

Feds Waikato president Chris Lewis says he was "misrepresented" by the Greens as asking for a moratorium on dairy conversions.

"What actually happened was that I was asked by a number of Waikato Regional Councillors and Federated Farmers members to raise the subject with the Waikato Regional Council chair.

"Federated Farmers thrives on a diversity of opinion and vigorous debate to reach the robust positions we advocate. So I put up the straw man at our Federated Farmers provincial council meeting, suggesting some reasons for it and against it - and then boom, we have a big headline, misinterpretations and misrepresentations!

"We have discussed this issue for the last ten years at times; it's a good discussion to have. Farmers are sensitive around this issue and any effects we could have on the environment. As I said we at Federated Farmers like to discuss a lot of the issues that are raised from time to time, debate them and try to come up with solutions. That's how we work."

The Greens and Forest and Bird have seized on Lewis' initial comments and renewed their calls for a cap on dairyng.

It also reached Parliament, where Green list MP Catherine Delahunty quizzed Prime Minister John Key.

"Doesn't this show the Government has failed to protect water quality with their standards when it's left to Federated Farmers to call for a moratorium on dairy conversions?" Delahunty said.

She asked Key if he agreed with Waikato Federated Farmers' call for a pause on dairy conversions because of fears over its impact on water quality and allocation.

Key told the House he was not in a position to comment on the issue because he had not seen Lewis' comments.

Forest & Bird's group manager campaigns and advocacy, Kevin Hackwell says the stance taken by Waikato Federated farmers is sensible.

"All they're asking is for some headroom to get the pollution limits down below the maximum limit before any more dairy conversions are allowed. They're asking for a pause, to give the river and land time to catch its breath and recover."

Lewis says solutions should be based on scientific and technical answers.

"To do that Local Government needs to be adequately resourced to properly understand and measure the impacts and mitigation of environmental effects caused by dairying expansion."