Dairy farms offered help to clean up their act

John Penno

A multi-million-dollar programme for people to work directly with dairy farmers on preventing environmental damage is in the pipeline.

The programme is a key feature of a dairy industry sustainable environmental management strategy to be released today.

The programme - due to get under way this year - will initially focus on "target catchments", including areas where dairying's impact on water quality is causing concern.

It will involve one-on-one work with farmers and use agencies in regular contact with farmers to reinforce the environmental protection messages.

Target catchments are being selected - it is understood the work will be "resource intensive" - meaning there will not be a large number of areas selected initially.

Rotorua Lakes is tipped as one area for early attention. The strategy also notes dairying's impact is especially noticeable in lowland water courses in parts of Canterbury, Southland and Waikato, which have 42 per cent of the national dairy herd.

The targeted approach acknowledges that some places have "more immediate" environmental issues "while most other regions will improve under the strategy over time".

Realistic objectives will be set in target areas in discussions between the industry and the community, but the initial aim is a 30 per cent reduction in "target catchment impacts".

Strategy priorities include:

* Reducing the amount of nitrogen and phosphate that gets into water from fertilisers, farm operations and cows' urine.

* Preventing faeces getting into waterways.

* Having sufficient water available for dairying.

* Cutting methane emissions from cows.

The strategy is the work of the Dairy Environment Review Group, involving key industry organisations, and is aimed at reducing dairying's environmental impact while improving productivity.

"Everyone in dairying needs to be doing something that brings about changes on each dairy farm that reduces nutrient outflow and microbal contamination of surface water," said group leader John Penno, executive chairman of Canterbury dairy farming company Synlait.

The strategy aims to co-ordinate dairying's approach to:

* Sustainable environmental management.

* The creation of on-farm technology to improve such management.

* Research to measure the farm environment and improve technology and farming practices.

An industry leadership group is to be formed to oversee and co-ordinate the strategy. It will involve the likes of Fonterra, the farmer-funded Dairy InSight, Dairy Farmers of New Zealand, Federated Farmers, Landcare Research, the ministries of Agriculture and the Environment and regional councils.

"The next step is to align Dairy InSight investments and available Government funds around getting sustainable management tools and practices on to farms," said Penno.

Budgets for the work in target catchments - expected to cost millions of dollars - and other aspects of the strategy are being worked on by Dairy InSight and dairy research organisation Dexcel.

Research and development objectives include the long-term goal of reducing nitrogen and phosphate losses into water by 50 per cent below a benchmark to be set in each area, and a 60 per cent improvement in irrigation water use.

A simple on-farm tool for measuring nutrient loss is another key research target.

The strategy notes monitoring of the Clean Streams Accord between Fonterra, local government and the Agriculture and Environment ministries had shown the industry was already performing well in some areas in working to reduce its environmental impact.

However, the document acknowledges the industry is perceived as not addressing its environmental issues.

Penno said the goal was that in five to 10 years' time the dairy industry and dairy farmers would be seen as responsible members of the community who were leading the charge in terms of environmental management.