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OPINION: Farmer lobby Groundswell is mobilising farmers against the requirement to have freshwater farm plans.
Groundswell NZ predicts the Government's new Freshwater Farm Plans will cost $10,000 to implement on each farm, and says they are "just another unworkable regulation bought in by this Government".
It has started holding farmer meetings. The lobby wants freshwater farm plans to be addressed by catchment groups rather than individual farmers.
A new requirement for farms over a certain size to have a freshwater farm plan has come into effect from August 1 in parts of the Waikato and Southland, with other regions to follow over the next two years.
In the Waikato region, the requirement is being phased in by catchment, starting with the Waipā to align as best as possible with the pending implementation of Proposed Plan Change 1.
Once the regulations are activated in their catchment, farm operators will have 18 months to development and submit their first freshwater farm plan for certification.
A drop in methane targets announced by the Government this month has pleased farmers but there are concerns that without cross-party support, the targets would change once a Labour-led Government is voted into office.
OPINION: This old mutt is loath to sound like Groundswell has been topping up his bowl with brisket off-cuts, but the ginger group makes a good point about the arguments raised in favour of toeing the Paris Agreement line.
The ACT Party's call for a better deal on the Paris Agreement on climate change is being backed by farmer organisations.
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