Kristy McGregor: Clean water proposals concern farmers

Kristy McGregor.

Federated Farmers has an SPA (Sensible, Practical, Affordable) approach on water quality issues, and we take the same line with the government's recent Clean Water announcements.

This next stage of water reform was released by the Minister for the Environment and Minister for Primary Industries at the end of February.

The three key components of the consultation document relate to proposed stock exclusion regulations, significant changes to the National Policy Statement and a call for applications to the Freshwater Improvement Fund.

Our view is that any water quality provisions need to be based on solid information not flimsy models or conjecture.

Proposals need to be equitably applied across town and country, be practical to implement at a local level, and the costs and benefits need to be known and taken into account.

Contrary to claims from some so-called experts, about 80 per cent of New Zealand's waterways have stable or improving water quality.

All sectors (residential, industrial and farming) are culpable when it comes to water bodies that are not up to scratch, so all New Zealanders need to play their part.

It's the proposed national stock exclusion regulations that are likely to be of great interest and potential concern to farmers.

The Government is proposing that stock exclusion starts with dairy cattle and pigs in 2017 for waterways over 1m wide on all slopes, and compulsory exclusion of other kinds of stock exclusion come in on a staggered basis until 2030.

The exclusion of dairy cattle on the milking platform is simply what is already underway and mostly being achieved through the Sustainable Dairying Water Accord.

Beef cattle and deer on plains would be excluded from all waterways from 2025, and in undulating and rolling country from 2030 for waterways over 1m wide.

Stock crossings are treated differently.

Cattle, deer and pigs will be able to enter water bodies for the purpose of crossing from one side to another if they are supervised and actively being driven, where this occurs once per week.

Any more than once per week and the crossing must be bridged or culverted by July 2019.

Under the proposals, anyone who cannot meet the requirements to exclude stock will need to apply to the regional council for permission to develop a stock exclusion plan.

The Federated Farmers policy team is working its way through the 97-page document and preparing a submission.

There may be more effective and practical ways to ensure stock are excluded from waterways.

Submissions close on April 28. The consultation document is on the Ministry for the Environment website.

If you have concerns, make your views known to Federated Farmers Northland President John Blackwell (email northland@fedfarm.org.nz), and consider making your own submission.