Progress on Hinds Plan welcomed by Federated Farmers

Progress on Hinds Plan welcomed by Federated Farmers

Federated Farmers welcomes the progress made on the Hinds Plan Change to the Land and Water Regional Plan - with Environment Canterbury accepting the recommendations put to them by Independent Hearing Commissioners last week.

The Hinds Plan Change sets limits, targets, timeframes and additional policies and rules on water quantity and quality in the Hinds area.

Federated Farmers Mid Canterbury Provincial President Willy Leferink says it’s important to have progress on what is one of the biggest and most important catchments for farming anywhere in New Zealand.

"We need solutions which will deliver effective management of this catchment but are also practical for water users, including farmers. The targets set out in the plan and going to be tough to meet, but we agree with the importance of farmers embedding the best possible management practices and through this and with time we’ll see how practical the targets are."

The progress of the Hinds Plan is in no small way due to work conducted over the past three years by a partnership of numerous primary sector organisations under the leadership of Federated Farmers.

"These efforts reflect the commitment of those within the primary industries to finding sustainable solutions and we’re pleased the Council has listened to the concerns of those operating within Hinds zone. However, there is still a lot of work to be done," he says.

ENDS

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