But Five Rivers Ltd, Southdown Holdings Ltd and Williamson Holdings Ltd are to put forward alternatives for the land they own or want to buy at Ohau Downs, Glen Eyrie Downs and Killermont Station respectively.
Yesterday, the three companies, through legal counsel Chris Whata, confirmed "cut and carry" beef and sheep farming or cropping without stock were alternatives to dairying.
The alternatives were not a substitute or replacement for the 16 dairy farms with up to 17,850 cows housed in cubicles.
Last week, the companies told an Environment Canterbury (ECan) hearings panel there were alternatives to dairying on the three properties.
The ECan panel of commissioners is hearing water right applications lodged by the three companies to establish the dairy farms.
The companies told the panel that if it "should have any significant concerns about the dairying farm option", they wanted to produce further evidence about "cut and carry" or crop farming.
However, the panel was not clear what the companies wanted.
It asked them to clarify by yesterday whether they wanted to change and/or amend the water applications for the dairy farms.
Mr Whata has said the three companies now wanted to present information on alternative farming systems to the panel.
The information would be in the form of amended farm environmental management plans.
It would be presented "on the basis they are alternative farming methods", as the companies preferred dairying.
The alternatives were not a substitute nor a replacement for dairying, he said.
The additional information will be provided to the panel by next Friday.
The companies already have land use and certificates of compliance from the Waitaki District Council for the developments.
Those were not publicly notified by the council for public submissions.
The ECan panel is at present hearing and will decide on resource applications for water for the dairy farms to be used for irrigation and to dilute dairy effluent.
Those applications were publicly notified for submissions.
The companies' resource applications to store and discharge diluted dairy effluent to land have been called in by the Government, to be considered by a five-member board of inquiry.
Those applications will be readvertised for public submissions, although the more than 5300 submissions already made to ECan will stand.
