increase font size
Feds environment spokesman Chris Allen.
Federated Farmers says it didn’t have a say in a new plan on water quality, even though farmers are expected to bear the brunt of the proposal.
Feds environment spokesman Chris Allen says he has no hot line to the Environment Ministry but was keen to talk while there was “clean air” before any announcement was made.
But he says Environment Minister David Parker has said announcements on tighter regulations of the agricultural sector are imminent.
The new national water regulations were due to be announced on September 5 (after Rural News went to press) with Parker fronting. There were no pre-announcements.
“Rather than just coming up with one water quality system for all the whole country... we should be looking catchment by catchment. Problems we might have here in Canterbury could be very different from issues in Waikato or Otago,” Allen told Rural News.
He says many regions have strong regulations on water and most farmers are doing a lot of stock exclusion from waterways, riparian plantings and changes to effluent disposal.
“Farmers are doing the right thing, but they need to know. They don’t want to have to do the same thing three times to meet regulations.”
Allen believes farmers have moved a long way on water quality.
“We can’t blame our grandfathers for everything. But we are looking at the environment through a new lens -- things such as water quality and climate change. We have to think about the impact of those on all our farming systems.”
But Allen says while most rivers are moving in the right direction and getting cleaner, it will take time to put solutions in place.
“We can generally say farmers are doing the best they can. But we can’t deny we will need rules for some.”
With information on water quality coming from Wellington, some will see it as draconian, he says.
“If it was an easy fix for waterways we could do it easily, but it is not. It is hard to make rivers clear and clean. We need to encourage farmers to do the right thing rather than be punitive.”
Allen says in dairy districts, water quality is an issue that should be built on the Sustainable Dairying: Water Accord.
“Farmers have already invested huge amounts of time and effort resulting in stock being excluded from waterways on 97.5% of dairy farms and more than 99.7% of regular stock crossing points on dairy farms now having bridges or culverts.”
Allen says they are seeing improvements in water quality as a result.
“For example, a recent regional council report shows water in Taranaki Rivers is showing long term improvements.”
He says any proposed changes should be underpinned by robust cost benefit analysis, rather than bald measurements of attributes such as nitrogen, turbidity, and phosphorous
“The catchment based improvements should be geared to the values of the local community: can you swim in it, can you fish and are macro invertebrates thriving in it,” Allen said.
“Farmers would also like to see consistency in approach across all sectors and appropriate recognition of where changes have been made -- whether by urban or rural sectors -- that are improving water quality.”
OPINION: Recent media commentary from Southland Federated Farmers has raised concerns among our rural communities, particularly around Environment Southland’s approach to winter grazing inspections and nitrogen reporting. But let’s be clear, much of what’s been said simply doesn’t reflect reality.
OPINION: Environment Canterbury's (ECan) decision recently to declare a so-called “nitrate emergency” is laughable.
A shameless political stunt is how Federated Farmers is describing the Canterbury Regional Council decision to declare “a nitrate emergency” on the back of its latest annual groundwater quality survey.
Federated Farmers say Environment Canterbury's decision to declare a 'nitrate emergency' is a shameless political stunt that won't help anyone.
Farmers want the Government to scrap controversial freshwater rules that "put river spirits and ideology ahead of practical water use", says Federated Farmers board member Mark Hooper.
Rollovers of quad bikes or ATVs towing calf milk trailers have typically prompted a Safety Alert from Safer Farms, the industry-led organisation dedicated to fostering a safer farming culture across New Zealand.
The Government has announced it has invested $8 million in lower methane dairy genetics research.
A group of Kiwi farmers are urging Alliance farmer-shareholders to vote against a deal that would see the red meat co-operative sell approximately $270 million in shares to Ireland's Dawn Meats.
In a few hundred words it's impossible to adequately describe the outstanding contribution that James Brendan Bolger made to New Zealand since he first entered politics in 1972.
Dawn Meats is set to increase its proposed investment in Alliance Group by up to $25 million following stronger than forecast year-end results by Alliance.
A day after the ouster of PGG Wrightson’s chair and his deputy, the listed rural trader’s board has appointed John Nichol as the new independent chair.
OPINION: Ageing lefty Chris Trotter reckons that the decision to delay recognition of Palestinian statehood is more than just a fit…
OPINION: A mate of yours truly recently met someone at a BBQ who works at a big consulting firm who spent…
