Smith asked to call in factory farming consents
new-zealand-labour-party
Thu Jan 07 2010 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)
Smith asked to call in factory farming consents
Thursday, 7 January 2010, 11:13 am
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party
7 January 2010
Media Statement
Smith asked to consider calling in Mackenzie Basin factory farming resource consents
Environment Minister Nick Smith has been asked by Environment Canterbury if he wants to call in the resource consents for factory dairy farming operations in the Mackenzie Basin, says Labour water spokesperson Brendon Burns.
Brendon Burns says he discovered the request yesterday when looking at ECan files before visiting the Mackenzie Basin to look at the impact of factory farming on water quality.
ECan chief executive Dr Bryan Jenkins wrote to Dr Smith on December 23, noting that commissioners are hearing resource consents for three corporate dairy farm operations involving up to 8000 hectares of land housing 17,000 cows, Brendon Burns said.
In the letter Dr Jenkins wrote that independent of the hearing process, there had been media debate about factory farming with the Agriculture Minister seeking urgent advice on animal welfare issues. At the same time, there had been calls for the consents to be declined on the basis that they are contrary to New Zealand's reputation as a source of pastoral free-range dairy products.
Brendon Burns said the legal advice to ECan is that animal welfare issues are not an "effect" of the activity and cannot be included in consideration, and nor could they provide the basis for a Ministerial call-in of the applications.
“Dr Jenkins says there is a stronger argument for considering the detrimental effect on New Zealand's image abroad from factory farming, but it is unlikely a regional council could place significant weight on this issue. He has asked Dr Smith if he is considering a call-in under Section 142 of the Resource Management Act, which allows Mr Smith to use the powers if a resource consent is causing widespread public concern about likely impacts on the environment.”
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Brendon Burns says Dr Smith should seriously consider using the powers. "The potential harm from these massive dairy operations is not just limited to the fragile beauty of the Mackenzie Basin and its pristine lakes and rivers.
“Fonterra, the tourism industry, scientists, politicians across both major and some minor parties, all have expressed fears about impacts on water, on animals and on New Zealand's reputation as a tourism destination and pasture-fed exporter."
Brendon Burns says any decision on a call-in is required by January 15 for two of the corporate dairy farming applications and by January 22 for the third.
ENDS
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