Although single water meters are being installed on Southland farms to meet Environment Southland requirements, Fonterra wants all its suppliers to measure separately water used for irrigation, milking and stock water by the start of the 2018-2019 season.
“We have no idea at the moment how much water farmers are using,” Fonterra environment programme lead Michael Hide said.
“Current estimates for milking are 70 litres per cow per day for rotary dairies and 50 litres per cow for herringbones but we have measured some dairies using 320 litres per cow per day,” he said.
“We don’t know what is normal or good or bad. We just want to understand what is happening and when we find out those that are bad we will be coming to talk to you on ways of improving what you are doing and if what you are doing is really good we will probably use you like a lab rat.
“However, at the point where it compromises the production of safe and hygienic milk, we will not go there.”
He said all farms will need at least two water meters, one to measure stock drinking water and one for dairies and if the farm was irrigated another one would also be needed. Water use data will have to be recorded.
“Be careful how you install water meters,” he said.
“Don’t install them in bends of pipes because they don’t work properly and different types last longer than others. Use Irrigation New Zealand’s Blue Tick Programme.”
He said dairy systems which used milk cooling water for stock water or irrigation might be difficult to measure.
“You will have to figure out ways to measure water use on your farm that work.”
He said Fonterra’s customers wanted to know farmers were using water efficiently and communities were also concerned.
“We want to reduce the level of angst in the community and minimise the amount of adverse headlines we are getting in the media around water.”
He said although there was a public perception that farmers should pay for use of water there were no moves yet for that to happen.
“Under the Resource Management Act, stock water is allowed as of right. However, in places such as Canterbury, water is overallocated but because no one knows how much farmers are using, no one really knows how much it is over-allocated by. We simply don’t know if there is a problem or how big it is.”
For more information on Irrigation New Zealand’s Blue Tick Programme visit www.irrigationaccreditation.co.nz/
