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This old mutt has long been suspicious of a group of water zealots in South Canterbury known as the Opihi Catchment Environmental Protection Society (OCEPS).
The group has for years been making unsubstantiated allegations of pollution in the Opuha dam from organochlorine chemicals. Despite numerous tests and clearances by local authorities ECan and Timaru District Council for banned pesticides DDT and dieldrin, the group is never satisfied and keeps insisting there are residues in the water. Recently it was discovered that a small area of sediment containing white granules was discovered in the river which tested to have very high levels of DDT and arsenic.
It was “incredibly confronting” for Taupo farmers to be told in about 2000 that their farms were polluting the lake and they would probably have to go, says Mike Barton, of Glen Emmreth Farm at Lake Taupo.
Farmers should have their say on what the priorities should be for environmental reporting.
Being a dairy farmer and an environmentalist, I have been perplexed by the banter and politicking over the regional council's One Plan implementation.
Agreement has been reached on reducing by 20% the amount of nitrogen leaching into Lake Taupo through the ground.
A DISTRICT court judge is warning farmers polluting waterways can expect higher fines in future to provide greater deterrence as cases "continue to come before the courts".
The country's second largest milk processor hopes to produce its first commercial butter within two months.
There's no doubt that vehicle manufacturers at Fieldays saw a steady stream of rural folk treading the boards.
Fonterra's co-op model and what it does for New Zealand has lured one of its bright stars back on board.
Farmer lobby Federated Farmers is reporting a growth in membership, for the first time in decades.
New Zealand's Ruminant Biotech says that while it has big goals, the scale of the problem it seeks to solve requires it.
The upheaval in the Middle East may have eased the fall in global dairy prices last week.
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