Friday, March 29, 2024

‘Let’s nail it’

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The Government’s new freshwater guidelines show a willingness to engage the entire community in its plans to improve water quality, Mid Canterbury foothills farmers Anne-Marie and Chris Allen say.
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The sheep and beef farmers’ property borders the tributaries of the Ashburton River and they rely on good healthy water not only for their own wellbeing but also for that of their livestock.

From a farming perspective the couple hoped the new guidelines would gel all communities together to achieve the swimmable rivers target from North Cape to Bluff.

“Nationally, it put some clarity around where the Government is thinking.

“At the end of the day it’s what we all want, rural and urban, so it’s not just about farming,” they said.

But there would be a huge cost for many farmers with the biggest outlay coming in stock water reticulation.

The Allens already had their stock fenced out of waterways as that had been an Environment Canterbury rule for several years.

But they relied on the river as the source of water for their farm’s stock water reticulation.

“We also like to think we can swim in it and we are very happy that we and other farmers are doing a good job up this way as the state of the river is mapped as blue (excellent).”

Anne-Marie said it had to be remembered farmers had a job to do.

“We are food producers and where do New Zealanders think their food will come from if we don’t all gel and work on this together.

“It’s not about slamming farming, it’s about communities engaging in the challenge together,” she said.

Wearing his Federated Farmers water spokesman’s hat Chris said the pressure was now on all Kiwis to step up.

“And this is essential to the success of what is a practical but also quite ambitious proposal,” he said.

The swimability target of 90% by 2040 was a “stretch goal” but very early feedback suggested freshwater in some regions could be improved and restored in relatively short timeframes, Allen said.

“This is all entirely doable, if everyone plays their part.

“Farmers have been encouraged by the results they’ve seen in their own catchments, from their own efforts but now we need better science and monitoring processes to really nail what we need to work on, where we do it and how.”

Allen said the stock exclusion regulation was a key area for NZ’s hill and high country farmers with the solutions proposed needing to be practical, sensible and affordable.

“This is a critical area for us to get right.”

The provision of the $100 million for the Freshwater Improvement Fund would be a great asset.

“We’d like to see this funding channelled into some significant scientific research and innovation to boost our ability to achieve the targets the Government and our communities will set,” Allen said.

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