increase font size
Aslan Wright-Stow.
DairyNZ says it supports the Waikato Regional Council monitoring and increasing their focus on high-risk farms.
DairyNZ says Waikato dairy farmers found to be significantly non-compliant are letting all farmers down by not doing their bit for the environment, so they must wear the consequences.
“We support the monitoring of high-risk farms by Waikato Regional Council and the increased focus on those who need to lift their game,” says DairyNZ environment and catchment manager Aslan Wright-Stow.
“These farmers are bringing down the good work of the approximately 3600 other Waikato dairy farmers who are doing their bit to look after waterways, manage effluent well and are investing in the latest technologies.
“Each farm has the potential to have an impact – we want all our dairy farms doing their part to manage effluent well and look after the environment.”
Wright-Stow says the sector has a clear vision to improve water quality and it requires everyone and every farmer to do their bit.
“The sector has invested in a programme which ensures effluent system professionals are accredited and can provide the best advice to farmers, including tools to ensure that the amount of effluent storage is adequate,” says Wright-Stow.“DairyNZ also has a Warrant of Fitness programme for farmers to identify areas of their effluent system which need improving, as well as help which is available through our team to support farmers to meet their requirements.“There has been a lot of improvements across the country, both in terms of knowledge and practice. The number of farmers who continue to be non-compliant are few and do not represent the majority.”
Dairy farmers looking for effluent system information are advised to visit www.dairynz.co.nz/effluent or ph 0800 4 324 7969.
Rural Support Waikato is inviting farmers, growers, and rural communities to take a well-earned break and join us for 'Brunch on Us' - a series of all-sector, relaxed drop-in events across the region.
Changes to resource management laws announced last week will spare thousands of farmers from needing an unnecessary resource consent just to keep farming.
Waikato is home to a diverse range of lakes, and experts say they urgently need better management and restoration.
A Taupiri farming company has been convicted and fined $52,500 in the Hamilton District Court for the unlawful discharge of dairy effluent into the environment.
Convictions and fines totalling $112,500 have been imposed on a logging company for repeated environmental damage on a farm near Wahi between August 2022 and October 2023.
Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.
The Ministry for the Environment is joining as a national award sponsor in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA from next year).
Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.
OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.
DairyNZ says its plantain programme continues to deliver promising results, with new data confirming that modest levels of plantain in pastures reduce nitrogen leaching, offering farmers a practical, science-backed tool to meet environmental goals.
'Common sense' cuts to government red tape will make it easier for New Zealand to deliver safe food to more markets.
OPINION: Should cows in NZ be microchipped?
OPINION: Legislation being drafted to bring back the controversial trade of live animal exports by sea is getting stuck in the…
