Crocodile tears from Govt over dairy effluent

new-zealand-labour-party

Thu Mar 18 2010 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)

Crocodile tears from Govt over dairy effluent

Thursday, 18 March 2010, 2:57 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party

Crocodile tears from Government over dairy effluent

**
Promises by Agriculture Minister David Carter to crack down on dairy farmers who fail to observe the Clean Streams Accord are hollow when the Government is about to push through more water allocation without better environmental controls, says Labour's water spokesman Brendon Burns.**

The latest snapshot of progress on the sixth year of the Clean Streams Accord showed a drop last year in the number of farms fully meeting their resource consent obligations from 65 percent to 60 percent.

Brendon Burns said his region of Canterbury, which is leading the surge in dairy production, has one of the worst rates of non-compliance at 43 percent of farms.

“Nearly one in five those are in significant breach of water and effluent management requirements.

"What is more, Environment Minister Nick Smith refused to deny comments I made in Parliament last night that the Cabinet will next Monday install former Prime Minister Dame Jenny Shipley as a Commissioner to take over the management of water in Canterbury.

"This will see her implement the review of Environment Canterbury conducted by her former National deputy Wyatt Creech, himself on the board of a dairy company.

"She will be acting on the Prime Minister's instructions, as outlined to Parliament that he wants to see rapid decisions on allocation of new water in Canterbury and elsewhere from next year.''

Brendon Burns says a gold-rush for new water, without properly worked through and tougher environmental standards, will simply see more breaches of the Clean Streams Accord.

"The Government is weeping crocodile tears about the current impact on water quality while it lines up new allocations which can only see further erosion of our birthright as New Zealanders to safely swim in our streams and rivers," said Brendon Burns.

ENDS

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