Dairy farming putting water quality at risk

The Government today acknowledged that continued intensification of dairy farming like that in Canterbury is posing a threat to public health through its effect on drinking water.

Minister of Health Pete Hodgson made the admission in response to questions from Green Party Environment Spokesperson Nandor Tanczos during question time in the House today.

Nandor’s questions follow a warning from the Canterbury Medical Officer of Health last week that the Canterbury Plains Water scheme, which aims to irrigate 60,000 hectares of farm land for dairy, had potential to cause significant health problems.

“Dr Alistair Thompson’s comments simply reinforce the links between intensification of dairy farming and drinking water contamination,” says Nandor.

“A recent study by ESR also shows a clear link between intensive dairy farming practises, contaminated drinking water and sickness. In particular contamination of drinking water by campylobacter, cryptosporidium and E. Coli is a real risk to health.”

New Zealand has one of the highest rates of campylobacter in the developed world.

“The expansion and intensification of dairying in areas like Canterbury brings real problems with it and this is just one more. This is the kind of thing that the long delayed Sustainable Water Programme of Action needs to address and there is no way that the CPW scheme should be allowed to pre-empt that important work,” Nandor says.