Friday, March 29, 2024

Farmers express concern for rights of water users

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Federated Farmers is calling for transparency over what new measures outlined in the Government’s latest freshwater management update will mean for water users. Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith and Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy have issued a consultation document, The Next Steps for Fresh Water, building on the National Policy Statement on Freshwater (2011) and the 2014 National Objectives Framework.
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Among initiatives proposed in the document is the development of national rather than regional regulations to get stock out of waterways.

“These proposed regulations set a clear timetable starting with all dairy and pig farms by July 2017, and progressively including dairy support, beef and deer farms relative to steepness of country by 2030 and are to be backed-up by a new instant-fine regime,” Smith said.

“New Zealand can achieve improved water quality and growth in agriculture with better infrastructure, greater efficiency of water use and innovation in farming practices.

“These proposals require councils to apply technical efficiency standards to water-use permits and good management practice rules to limit nutrients in water consents,” Guy said.

However, Federated Farmers contend the paper goes beyond the Land & Water Forum recommendations in terms of stock exclusion, such as the broader definition of what constitutes a waterway.

It also has concerns that some local governments may use their role in consultation with iwi over water to pre-empt negotiations between iwi and central government.

“It is important that iwi are heard just like any other sector of society but what this means for council processes needs to be made clear and the outcomes need to be practical for water users,” Federated Farmers president, Dr William Rolleston, said.

Meanwhile, political reaction to the document has focused on the Government only acting to eliminate dairy cattle from waterways.

“Despite the explosion in dairy beef and other beef cattle numbers, National’s plan does not exclude them from lowland rivers under 2025 and from rolling country until 2030,” Labour’s environment spokesperson, David Parker, said.

Green Party water spokesperson Catherine Delahunty said: “Allowing such a long time lag for the fencing of all stock out of waterways shows which side this government is on. Our waterways can’t wait until 2030 to have protection.”

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