Friday, 31 May 2019 11:13

Council's environmental management rules out of reach

Written by  Nigel Malthus
Dave Ashby. Dave Ashby.

The Waimakariri zone committee’s draft zone implementation programme addendum (ZIPA) is unachievable for many farmers in its current form, says a newly formed farmers group.

The Waimakariri Next Generation Farmers Trust is a response to the pending changes. 

Click here to read: New council rules tough on farmers.

Formed by seven local farm owners and managers, the trust attracted nearly 60 people to its first public meeting on May 3. It aims to consult farmers to make a case for changes to the ZIPA, and will be making a submission when public consultation begins later this year.

Chair Scott Evans, an Oxford dairy farmer, says the group was formed to unite the rural community in their goal of protecting the environment for future generations.

“A key objective of the trust is to work alongside industry and local authorities in the development of environmental policy. 

“Farmers have a lot of local knowledge and we want to ensure this grassroots perspective is not overlooked. We need practical, achievable changes that positively impact the environment and incorporate farmer-driven solutions.

“We all have the same aim and that is to ensure the environment is protected now and into the future.” 

Evans said the overall philosophy of the ZIPA is good but some detail had been lacking. For example, Plan Change 5, in force in Canterbury since February, does not define good management practice (GMP).

“How can we get to GMP by 2025 when we don’t actually know what GMP looks like? So we need a clear definition of that.”

Evans said many farms in the zone are new, with good modern infrastructure, but many smaller and older farms need to spend a lot of money to get them up to GMP. 

“We need to make sure that if we broad-brush a rule there’s a ‘valve’ in there to take account of the people who can’t make it, or won’t make it. I feel they could be quite a large proportion.”

Evans said farmers having trouble meeting GMP could apply for a separate resource consent. He said ECan may expect that to apply to only about 10%, but he thinks it could be more like 40%.

 “I don’t think it’ll be an easy channel for farmers to navigate.”

Many farmers had already been “going above and beyond” to protect their natural environment.

“Farmers are some of our best environmentalists. [They invest in] riparian management, farm environment plans, stock exclusion, irrigation management, wetland restoration and new technologies.”

Environmental spending by dairy farmers in the Canterbury/Marlborough region was $170,000 per farm from 2010 to 2015.

More like this

Editorial: Sense at last

OPINION: For the first time in many years, a commonsense approach is emerging to balance environmental issues with the need for the nation's primary producers to be able to operate effectively.

Dark ages

OPINION: Before we all let The Green Party have at it with their 'bold' emissions reduction plan, the Hound thought it wise to run the numbers through the old Casio.

Govt limits forestry conversions

Farmers have welcomed the Government’s move designed to limit farm to forestry conversions entering the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).

Faulty models used to measure emissions

OPINION: If you have kept your finger on the emissions pulse, none of the below information will be a surprise to you. However, if you are a farmer that has not been following New Zealand’s ruminant methane issue then you may be in for a nasty shock.

Featured

Dr Mike Joy says sorry, escapes censure

Academic Dr Mike Joy and his employer, Victoria University of Wellington have apologised for his comments suggesting that dairy industry CEOs should be hanged for contributing towards nitrate poisoning of waterways.

People-first philosophy pays off

The team meeting at the Culverden Hotel was relaxed and open, despite being in the middle of calving when stress levels are at peak levels, especially in bitterly cold and wet conditions like today.

Farmer anger over Joy's social media post

A comment by outspoken academic Dr Mike Joy suggesting that dairy industry leaders should be hanged for nitrate contamination of drinking/groundwater has enraged farmers.

From Nelson to Dairy Research: Amy Toughey’s Journey

Driven by a lifelong passion for animals, Amy Toughey's journey from juggling three jobs with full-time study to working on cutting-edge dairy research trials shows what happens when hard work meets opportunity - and she's only just getting started.

National

Machinery & Products

JDLink Boost for NZ farms

Connectivity is widely recognised as one of the biggest challenges facing farmers, but it is now being overcome through the…

New generation Defender HD11

The all-new 2026 Can-Am Defender HD11 looks likely to raise the bar in the highly competitive side-by-side category.

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Buttery prize

OPINION: Westland Milk may have won the contract to supply butter to Costco NZ but Open Country Dairy is having…

Gene Bill rumours

OPINION: The Gene Technology Bill has divided the farming community with strong arguments on both the pros and cons of…

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter