Otago Regional Council’s decision to plough on with its land and water plan is deeply disappointing, Federated Farmers say.
Late last month, ORC councillors voted 7-5 to move forward with notifying their controversial plan for managing the region’s land and water resources on October 31.
Federated Farmers Otago president Luke Kane says it’s gutting news for local farmers who are already battling with drought, high interest rates and low payouts.
“Once notified, these rules have legal effect and will seriously affect many people’s ability to even keep on farming.”
He says, in debating the need to move ahead or pause, many councillors seemed to think Otago farmers wouldn’t take action to improve the environment without new freshwater rules.
The perception that Otago farmers aren’t out there already looking after their environment is wrong, Kane says.
“Farmers have been making huge improvements on their properties to improve environmental outcomes for a long time now, and we’re seeing great progress.
“Most of us don’t make those changes because a rule or regulation told us we had to. We do it because we care about the environment and want to play our part.
“The Pomahaka, where my family and I farm, was one of the first catchment group in the country.
“Just in the last three years our community have collectively completed 110km of fencing and put in 248,000 plants – and that doesn’t include what farmers have done on their own.
“I have just spent my last two weekends riparian-fencing creeks and flood channels.”
ORC has been preparing new freshwater farming rules under the previous government’s strict national bottom lines.
A draft released last year included new fencing requirements for sheep and beef farmers, stock rate limits of 2.5 cows per hectare, and a fertiliser cap of 100kg nitrogen per hectare for dairy farmers in many catchments through Otago.
The new Government has since signalled an intention to review this strict national direction. In the meantime, it has delayed deadlines for councils to notify new rules by three years.
Kane says it’s obvious that councils around the country, including in Otago, should be stopping work on their land and water plans until they get clarity from the Government.
“If they don’t, they risk causing needless uncertainty and confusion for farmers who are just looking for clear direction so they can make long-term decisions for their businesses.
“It also seems like a real waste of ratepayers’ money to keep working on a new plan that’s going to need to change.
“That money is essentially getting poured down the drain, which is a real shocker at a time when the council is proposing huge rate rises for our community.”
He says ORC’s current framework is completely unworkable, and pushing ahead with rule changes now risks seriously undermining the social and economic fabric of rural Otago.
“The situation at the moment is getting very messy. Not only is a new national direction due in a few years, but the Government has also signalled it wants to completely repeal and replace the RMA.
“Once the Government has reviewed the freshwater direction and Resource Management framework, we could see Otago needing to start again with this whole process.”
Federated Farmers national board member and environment spokesman Colin Hurst agrees ORC has completely ignored the Government’s direction in choosing to press ahead with notifying its plan in October.
“Cabinet has extended the deadline for councils to implement freshwater plans until the end of 2027, so why on earth would ORC or other councils choose to push on?
“It’s extremely disappointing that ORC is galloping ahead, wasting ratepayers’ money and heightening farmer anxiety, when changes mean their plan will have a lifespan of barely two years.”
It’s a poor decision that will result in even more regulation being piled onto Otago farmers in the coming months, Hurst says.
He’s concerned other councils could also look to charge ahead in the same way as Otago.
“The Government has signalled it intends to amend the RMA later this year to, amongst other things, stop new Significant Natural Areas being developed and change the way Te Mana o Te Wai is being applied to resource consent decisions.
“In making these amendments, the Government also needs to consider options for how to draw a halt to councils continuing to implement David Parker’s legacy.
“Federated Farmers will continue to push back on strongly on impractical regulations and wasteful spending from councils on behalf of our members.”
Federated Farmers, New Zealand’s leading independent rural advocacy organisation, has established a news and insights partnership with AgriHQ, the country’s leading rural publisher, to give the farmers of New Zealand a more informed, united and stronger voice. Feds news and commentary appears each week in its own section of the Farmers Weekly print edition and online.
