You can’t please the people all the time!

Those words are ringing in my ears after fronting – as a farmer and the chairman of industry body DairyNZ – the recent release of the new Sustainable Dairying: Water Accord. This new accord will replace the previous Clean Streams Accord that ended in 2012. We are now discussing the new accord with farmers before finalising for signing about mid-May. 

There was praise and criticism in the media of our new accord – and I got caught up in both.

Commitment across the industry

Dairy farmers are already doing a great deal to protect the environment. We plant trees, fence streams and protect wetlands. Plus we spend about $24m a year on ridding our forests and native bush of pests through the TB-Free programme.

The QEII National Trust, which helps private landowners protect areas with high conservation values, is under pressure because so many farmers are seeking to protect land. About one in ten farming businesses is now protecting land under QEII covenants, as a way of preserving special areas without losing ownership. The trust is struggling to keep up with demand.

Here was the dairy industry stepping up for the first time with an agreement that covered all dairy companies and had the support of the industry and central and regional government. 

Every dairy company has committed to sign the new accord. Together with DairyNZ and Federated Farmers we are now united as an industry on a comprehensive common set of industry good-practice environmental standards that will apply to farms across the country. There are new areas covered like riparian management and new dairy farms, and new, tougher targets in some areas.

We got support from the Minister for Primary Industries, regional councils and others including Ngai Tahu Farming.

Predictable critics

And the criticism came from predictable quarters. The Green Party and Forest and Bird focused on the lack of teeth as they saw it. We should have had all companies sign up to compulsory sanctions for farmers who didn’t meet these standards, they said. We should have learnt the lessons of the previous Clean Streams Accord.  

But Fonterra, with 89% of suppliers, and other companies, have already signalled that the accord’s requirements will be reflected in current and future supply agreements. Fonterra’s experience has shown that sanctions are generally only needed as a last resort. A strong letter of warning is usually enough to prompt action. 

Company supply agreements are already an integral part of our dairy industry – but they alone are not the answer. From DairyNZ’s experience, concentrated support to farmers is also needed to bring about change.

Doing it on a big scale

DairyNZ has a programme of work planned including a 700-farm three-year research project underway in the Upper Waikato Karapiro catchment to test the support approach on a large scale. There, with funding from the Waikato River Authority, we will provide one-on-one support to farmers to develop their own Sustainable Milk Plans. Dairy companies are partners in that too. 

I am quite happy to be held accountable by the public for whether we meet our targets in this new accord. But how we get there should be our decision. The Accord does not have to specify detailed sanctions. But what it does do is set out transparent and robust reporting on our progress and whether we meet our targets. That’s what matters to the public.

Our reputation

But as the quote goes, it is best not to get caught up in praise or criticism. Let’s just focus on what we have to do with this new accord and do it well.

As another quote from John Wooden goes, “Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” 

And I think the industry has shown great character with this latest accord. Ultimately that will also be reflected in our reputation.

• John Luxton is chairman of DairyNZ.