increase font size
The Waikato Regional Council's implementation of Variation 6 for the farming community is now rolling out to the Lower Waikato and West Coast catchments.
Most farmers will know Variation 6 confirmed the requirement that all dairy farms taking more than 15 cu m of water per day for milk cooling and shed washdown purposes require a resource consent. Most will also know they have until January 1, 2015 to take advantage of the special 'grandparenting' rules made available to them in the Variation.
However, as a way of keeping the costs to a minimum, the council is progressively going around the region to encourage farmers within the same catchment to make their applications at the same time. The aim of this is to process similar applications together which should keep the costs down.
Prior to Christmas, the council spent time in the Waihou catchment engaging with farmers there and the next stops are the Lower Waikato and West Coast catchments. Farmers in these catchments are being written to by the council asking that they get their new water take consent applications in by March 29, 2013.
"The March 29, 2013 date is the cut-off time established for the Lower Waikato and West Coast catchments for receiving applications for group processing," says Variation 6 implementation manager Amy King.
"By receiving applications from certain areas at the same time we can group similar applications and process them together to reduce costs to the individual farmer."
To help farmers understand the process and for help in completing consent application forms, three drop in days are being held:
February 28 – Tuakau Memorial Hall, 72 George St, Tuakau, 10am-30m
March 4 – Matangi Hall, 482 Tauwhare Rd, Matangi, 10am-3pm
March 6 – Huntly Memorial Hall, Wright St, Huntly, 10am -3pm
More information is available at www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/watertakes or call 0800 800 402.
Information on smart water use is available at www.dairynz.co.nz/smartwateruse
Rawhiti Environmental Park Limited has been convicted on eight charges and fined a total of $437,000 for persistent discharges of raw piggery effluent into the environment between February and October 2023.
Changes to resource management laws announced last week will spare thousands of farmers from needing an unnecessary resource consent just to keep farming.
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.
Convictions and fines totalling $112,500 have been imposed on a logging company for repeated environmental damage on a farm near Wahi between August 2022 and October 2023.
Following twelve years of litigation, a conclusion could be in sight of Waikato’s controversial Plan Change 1 (PC1).
Farmer confidence has taken a slight dip according to the final Rabobank rural confidence survey for the year.
Former Agriculture Minister and Otaki farmer Nathan Guy has been appointed New Zealand’s Special Agricultural Trade Envoy (SATE).
Alliance Group has commissioned a new heat pump system at its Mataura processing plant in Southland.
Fonterra has slashed another 50c off its milk price forecast as global milk flows shows no sign of easing.
Meat processors are hopeful that the additional 15% tariff on lamb exports to the US will also come off.
Fears of a serious early drought in Hawke’s Bay have been allayed – for the moment at least.
OPINION: The release of the Natural Environment Bill and Planning Bill to replace the Resource Management Act is a red-letter day…
OPINION: Federated Farmers has launched a new campaign, swapping ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ for ‘The Twelve Pests of Christmas’ to…
