Focus: PM Jacinda Ardern water plan 'not war on farmers.' Video / Channel 39
A swathe of regulations meant to clean New Zealand waters is not a war on farmers, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says.
Yesterday the Government announced its Action Plan for Healthy Waterways plan to halt degradation in New Zealand waterways.
The proposal includes tighter restrictions for farmers, including restrictions on landintensification, improvements to "risky" farm practices, and more controls on changing land use to dairy.
Federated Farmers has said the regulations are "unnecessarily stringent" and would come at great cost to farmers and rural communities.
Ardern said new rules would not force farms to close.
"What's being announced today is actually a recognition that actually there is some fantastic practice being modelled by farmers in New Zealand. What we need to do is lift everyone to those standards."