All ratepayers should foot the bill for keeping stock out of waterways, says a dairy farmer who until recently leased streamside land from Whangarei District Council.
Ruatangata dairy farmer Neville Thorne said he dropped his lease on a strip amounting to about 5ha rather than pay for fencing, and he knows of other farmers who will do the same.
Mr Thorne said the council's threat to withdraw leases on land held by about 20 farmers unless they complied with the fencing demand amounted to "more bloody bullying".
But Phil Halse, Hikurangi Swamp Working Party chairman and a council representative on the group designed to find consensus on land-use and waterways issues, said farmers were in business and suburban residents or other ratepayers should not have to pay for those business costs.
"It would be disappointing if farmers refused to fence but if we don't get compliance we will withdraw those leases - it's as simple as that," Mr Halse said.