Media Advisory from the Dairy Environment Leadership Group
28 November 2007
Dairy Industry meets with Government to discuss progress and expectations
The Dairy Environment Leadership Group today presented the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, the Honourable Jim
Anderton, with an update on the industry's progress towards meeting the objectives and targets of its sustainability
strategy.
The meeting also provided an opportunity for the Government to share its vision for a sustainable dairying future in New
Zealand and for all parties to discuss how the industry and community natural resource management objectives can be
achieved.
As one of our country’s biggest exporters, the dairy industry understands the importance of sustainability, both
economic and environmental, when it comes to building our competitiveness, both internationally and here at home.
Released in 2006, the industry’s Strategy for Sustainable Environmental Management sets out a plan of action to reduce
the industry’s environmental footprint while maintaining industry viability over the next 10 years. Industry good
organisation DairyNZ is implementing the work programme underlying the Strategy.
Through the levy, New Zealand dairy farmers are contributing to a total investment in the programme of more than $30
million over five years.
Key on-farm targets for the Strategy to achieve by 2016 include:
• Set benchmarks and targets for increasing resource use efficiency, such as water and nutrients, by 2010.
• Demonstrate and accelerate progress towards halting the decline in water quality from dairy land by 2011.
• Achieve a significant reduction in nutrient losses at catchment scale in target catchments - 30% reduction as an
interim stretch target.
• Nutrient management – 50% dairy farms having implemented a Nutrient Management Plan by 2012 and 100 per cent by
2016.
• Complete full adoption of the Dairying and Clean Streams Accord:
o Dairy cattle excluded from 50% of streams, rivers and lakes by 2007; 90% by 2012.
o Half of regular crossing points to have bridges or culverts by 2007, 90%by 2012.
o All farm dairy effluent discharges to comply with resource consents and regional plans immediately.
o All dairy farms to have in place systems to manage their nutrient inputs and outputs by 2007.
o Half of regionally significant wetlands (on farms) to be fenced by 2005; 90% by 2007.
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