Farmers need to take council findings on the chin

Farmers need to take council findings on the chin

Federated Farmers is saddened by Otago Regional Council inspection results and believes farmers risk compounding a bad payout season unless they seek information and help on what their obligations are under the Council’s water quality rules (Plan Change 6A).

“We are way too early in the inspection run to have this sort of bad news,” Stephen Korteweg, Federated Farmers Otago provincial president and himself a South Otago dairy farmer said.

“We’ll back guys who are unfairly treated but there’s just no way we can defend the indefensible. We know what society expects of us and we must lift our game.

“Our guys may have to take this on the chin. This is bad news and there’s no way to sugar coat it. We must do better right across the board.

“That said this is not about most farmers. We just hope all farmers aren’t tarred with the same brush here because most are responsible operators.

“Our message is probably aimed at those who didn’t attend one of the three Enviroready field days on Plan Change 6A obligations, we ran last week, alongside DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb NZ.

“We had a very good turnout to these field days despite it being the busiest time of the year. There is evidently still some confusion around what farmers need to be doing in order to remain compliant with the plan.

“Farmers have to do better. We have to do better. It’s really is as simple as that.

“To that end, Federated Farmers Otago is supporting Clutha Development Trust’s application to the Sustainable Farming Fund. This is for a community led water quality project in South Otago.

“We're also working closely alongside other industry representatives and the Council to ensure that the information needed by farmers gets out to them.

“If farmers don’t understand what their obligations are, or what they need to be doing or avoiding, the easiest thing for them to do is to call the Council, Federated Farmers, their industry good body or milk processor.

“DairyNZ has experts in effluent management and if you are a member, you can also speak to Federated Farmers Otago’s policy staff or electeds as well.

“We all want to pull together because otherwise this will generate the very headlines that we don’t want,” Mr Korteweg concluded.

ends

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