Otago leads the way in dairy compliance snapshot

Otago was one of the top performers in 2008-09 in terms of meeting the Dairying and Clean Streams Accord target for excluding stock from waterways according to a recently published report by the Ministry of Agriculture.

Otago is one of three regions to have achieved a key objective in the Accord of having stock excluded from waterways; the others being Southland and Northland.

Otago has met the target of having total stock exclusion from streams, rivers, and lakes on 93% of streams on Otago dairy farms. This has been achieved ahead of the 2012 target.

The Accord, signed in 2003, is an agreement between the Ministries of Agriculture and Forestry, and the Environment; and Fonterra and regional councils.

It aims to support and improve the dairy industry's environmental performance, with five key targets having been set, of which two have so far been met.

Otago Regional Council (ORC) Chairman Stephen Cairns said Council staff had worked for many years directly with farmers to implement and improve fencing and other farm practices that would maintain and improve water quality.

Cr Cairns said, "In achieving this goal the ORC is ahead of the majority of other New Zealand Councils. This reflects our investment in face to face ground work with Otago farmers to improve water quality measures in Otago.

"The Otago Water Plan which was first notified in 1998 has guided the Council's commitment to water quality which has always been to encourage farmers to become more innovative in their farm management as a means to reduce run-off and leaching. To ensure our actions support our words we haven't shied away from using legal enforcement measures where that has been necessary," Cr Cairns said.

There has also been a reduction in the level of non-compliance with regional plan and resource consent requirements from 8% to 5% following an increase in ORC performance monitoring checks. This is now one of the lowest non-compliance rates in the country.

ORC Director Policy and Resource Planning Fraser McRae said the ORC is embarking on a proposed new direction for managing rural water quality contaminants, whereby farmers would be responsible for measuring farm water contaminant outputs.

"The proposed new policy will see farmers retain the ability to develop their farm productivity as long as it is within certain water quality limits which will be defined by ORC," Mr McRae said.

Cr Cairns said this was a new approach to water quality management in New Zealand which would see the ORC keeping a firm hold on its regulatory imperative to improve and maintain water quality in Otago waterways for the benefit of all, while balancing this with the needs of agriculture as a major contributor to the Otago economy.

The ORC is planning to hold "Good water, good agriculture" conferences in Balclutha and Cromwell in May to discuss the proposed policy with farmers and agricultural organisations.