Dairy farmers may have caused the most damage environmentally in the past 20 years but they are also leading the charge to make improvements, a conference heard this week.
A discussion about freshwater at the Environmental Defence Society’s conference in Christchurch this week offered various views.
Waikato dairy farmer Stu Muir said plenty of farmers were working hard for the environment.
‘‘As I go from the Far North down to the deep South I see community groups, farming groups doing really amazing projects,’’ he said.
Most of them were below the radar and farmers got on and did things, he said.
‘‘Yes, we have contributed the most the last 20 years to the degradation of our environment, but we’re also doing the most, rapidly, not only to reverse it but to actually improve it.’’
Collaboration was needed.
However, he was heartened even while acknowledging there was a way to go.
‘‘But, we are heading that way.’’
DairyNZ strategy and investment leader Dr David Burger said science helped understand if progress was being made.
Conversation would be important for sticking to timeframes set, he said.
Fish & Game chairman Ray Grubb said that the standard for freshwater quality now had been mostly accepted by the community.
However, the barrier in achieving the standard was cost.
‘‘The cost in mounting cases for provisions of regional policy statements and plans is significant,’’ he said.
He said there was goodwill from the likes of DairyNZ and Federated Farmers to create the desired environment, although he did not think it would happen quickly.
Choose Clean Water campaigner Marnie Prickett said changing standards led to a perspective of economic stability being reliant on a healthy environment.
She hoped continuing conversation would solidify that perspective, although there were risks.
Among them were her worries the agricultural sector would ‘‘continue to reject’’ regulation and instead aim for weaker policy.
‘‘They fear, and promote fear, around regulation.’’
However, regulation would protect the best farmers.
Industry groups aiming for weaker policy undermined the success of those leading farmers.
‘‘It’s about supporting the people that are shifting.’’
