Farmers unhappy at OAG water report

Federated Farmers is questioning what value the Office of the Auditor General report, ‘Managing freshwater quality: challenges for regional councils’, will add to informed debate.

“The OAG report doesn’t give enough recognition to the enormous amount of work being put in by farmers and others to improve the quality of our water,” says Bruce Wills, Federated Farmers President, speaking for his water spokesperson, Ian Mackenzie, who is currently overseas.

“I am concerned the OAG didn’t look at central government policies, didn’t look at Canterbury, didn’t look at point source issues, but above all, didn’t look at regional council monitoring of urban water quality or stormwater. That’s a lot of didn’t, given the report’s title.

“Given we have the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Ministry for the Environment (MfE), I think farmers will be confused as to why the OAG has waded into water.

“My spokesperson, Ian Mackenzie, is highly experienced in water policy and supported by Federated Farmers policy staff up to PhD level. This report is unhelpful and is seriously limited by its own limitations.

“There’s no questioning in this report of what regional councils are doing to monitor district council management of drinking, wastewater and stormwater. Funny, that’s a core role I thought the OAG would perform rather than trying to join the MfE and the EPA.

“There’s no argument from farmers that farm run-off impacts the environment and being aware of that, there’s a lot being done about it. What frustrates me is this report doesn’t give the complete picture on the effects of point source pollution or stormwater.

“The OAG recommends what the primary sector and Federated Farmers is already actively involved and engaged upon; namely collaboration, integration and high quality science.

“It adds nothing new to the body of knowledge, but will fuel antagonism on both sides of a divide Federated Farmers is trying hard to close. I expect the usual suspects to hail this as some sort of proof, but what of?

“On page 69, the OAG seems to summarise Horizons Regional Council’s approach to compliance as being fair and consistent. I think farmers and the general public would have something to say about this, given recent heavy press coverage about Palmerston North’s impact on the Manawatu River.

“It’s what the report didn’t look into that really disappoints me,” Mr Wills concluded.