Sign In / Register
The Landowners and Contractors Association (LCA) recently hosted an interactive forum with Auckland Council’s farm environmental monitoring team leaders.
More than 50 local farmers attended, mainly from the dairy sector.
The meeting was the result of increasing concern over the format of farm inspections, the duplication involved regarding Fonterra’s inspections, the charges stemming from the inspections and the debt recovery methods imposed.
Senior regulatory and compliance officer James Hassall was present along with environmental monitoring officer Robert Laulala. A good introduction outlined council’s responsibility in regards to farm monitoring, particularly in and around effluent discharge, storage, feed pads, silage stacks and pits, as well as nutrient reporting.
Questions were raised over the timeframes expected for both nutrient reports and environmental reports not being in sync with fertiliser companies and Fonterra respectively, creating an even bigger workload and expectation on farmers.
Charge out rates came under the spotlight with hourly rates averaging $185 per hour plus GST, included in this is a portion of travel time from Auckland’s CBD. The qualifications of field staff came under scrutiny, as did the high turnover of trained officers.
Hassall explained the double up in fees as most farmers had received invoices back dated two years.
This was apparently due to lockdown, again arousing further discussion.
Debt collection was suggested after 30 days of unpaid accounts, which most saw as totally unreasonable for a service they had never requested.
The meeting concluded with a far better understanding from each party and a commitment from council officers to enhance communication, work with the LCA towards better understanding of rules, and source a client survey as a means of improving procedures.
Contributed by LCA chairman, Brian Mason, waikauri1@xtra.co.nz
