Greens urge Farmers to put efforts to better use

green-party

Mon Mar 19 2007 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Greens urge Farmers to put efforts to better use

Monday, 19 March 2007, 5:17 pm
Press Release: Green Party

19 March 2007

Greens urge Fed Farmers to put efforts to better use

The Green Party is urging the Rotorua/ Taupo branch of Federated Farmers not to engage in a costly and ill-fated legal appeal against a move to make pastoral farming near Lake Taupo subject to resource consent and instead put their efforts into preventing any further damage being done to that iconic water body.

Lake Taupo, like many other New Zealand waterways, is suffering ill-effects from farm run-off, says Nandor Tanczos, Green Party Environment Spokesperson.

"I applaud Environment Waikato regional council's decision to make pastoral farming near Lake Taupo a controlled activity under the Resource Management Act."

The rule change means farmers will need a resource consent for pastoral farming in the Taupo catchment. The move is being opposed by Federated Farmers.

"Any other activity with the same potential to adversely affect water quality would already be a controlled activity. This is just levelling the playing field," Nandor says.

"Some farmers already do take considerable steps to reduce their environmental impacts. It seems to me they won't have too much to fear. It's the one's that have been avoiding actually doing anything that this will give the ice to.

"Gifford McFadden (President of Rotorua/Taupo Federated Farmers) has said this would stop innovation. I disagree. This will drive innovation because change will no longer be driven by whether farmers feel like it.

"New Zeeland Farmers take great pride in being unsubsidised, but some continue to enjoy a subsidy from the environment. All businesses, and this includes farmers, must take responsibility for where they damage the environment. It is unfair to expect ratepayers and the rest of New Zealand to pick up the bill for the clean up costs as well as lose important parts of our common wealth, such as the ability to swim in rivers and lakes.

"Gifford is right that this is an important precedent. Let's hope this approach is adopted in other areas where the effects of intensive dairying are equally significant such as Canterbury," Nandor says.

ENDS

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