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An award-winning Mahurangi farmer, commended for his commitment to environmental sustainability, has joined a chorus of others blasting a new government action plan for healthy waterways.
The Government launched its action plan last month, which aims to halt the continuing pollution of waterways and clean up rivers and lakes within a generation.
The plan calls for farmers to abandon risky practices in respect of waterways and manage environmental risks through farm plans.
Gordon Levet
But Gordon Levet, who manages the Kikitangeo Romney Stud near Wellsford, says the healthy waters plan will put farms out of business and destroy rural communities.
Mr Levet’s comments come after being named Husqvarna North Island Farm Forester of the Year earlier this year, when he was commended for his forward thinking on environmental sustainability.
But Mr Levet, who has spent a lifetime breeding sheep, says the government plan appears to have been formulated by academics who are out of touch.
“We live in the age of academics who have no practical experience – they are deemed right and the practical people are wrong,” he says.
Mr Levet is especially critical of the government push to fence streams to keep livestock away. He says the bill for fencing would be enormous, especially on larger sheep farms, and it would render large tracts of land unavailable for farming, making marginal farms no longer viable.
“The labour force will be depleted in rural areas and towns will die. Health services will be curtailed and schools will close,” he says.
Moreover, he claims fencing is short-sighted. Diggers would need to be brought in, inevitably pushing more silt into nearby streams.
Furthermore, weeds, which would otherwise be eaten by sheep, will proliferate beyond the fences, forcing farmers to spray herbicides, which will end up polluting the waterways anyway.
Mr Levet says riparian planting and the creation of catchment ponds are far more effective in protecting waterways and controlling erosion.
Earle Wright
Meanwhile, one of DairyNZ’s Climate Change Ambassadors, Tapora dairy farmer Earle Wright, says he broadly supports the government’s general direction, but it has made a big mistake in failing to account for the social costs. This has led to distrust and a failure to see the positives in the Government’s proposals.
Mr Wright says halting the decline in water quality is a no-brainer and it is important that the Government shows some leadership so that doing nothing is no longer an option for farms, councils or cities.
“But I do have real concerns that some of the targets set won’t actually achieve the ecological outcomes we are after. I also am really concerned about the time frames, and that the social and community cost has been ignored so far. This is just not acceptable,” he says.
Damien O’Connor
To quieten rural disquiet, agriculture minister Damien O’Connor insists the Government does not “hate” farmers and has no interest in destroying rural communities.
He says improving freshwater quality will help protect farmers’ international reputation for sustainably produced food and fibre, and safeguard excellent commodity prices.
“I’ve been accused of not mentioning the good work farmers do. Rubbish. Since starting as minister
I’ve proudly and regularly praised work including riparian planting, protecting wetlands, tree planting, fencing and limiting fertiliser use,” he says.
The Government will continue to accept public submissions on its Action Plan for Healthy Waterways until October 31.
Info: mfe.govt.nz
