Battery-cow farming has no place in NZ

The three companies with plans for 16 new indoor dairy farms for the Mackenzie basin in the central South Island should withdraw their proposal.

From all points of view - animal welfare, environment damage and image tarnishing - the proposal is a dangerous development.

Housing up to 18,000 cows in "cubicle stables" for 24 hours a day for eight months of the year is an affront to animal welfare - no matter what the regulations might say - and would be hugely damaging to the fragile environment of the area, according to environmentalists.

The Green Party raised the alarm about this proposal, with co-leader Russel Norman saying the plan is a "radical departure from our tradition of farming stock outside and on pasture, and could do immense harm to our clean, green international brand".  He says "once word gets out to overseas consumers that New Zealand butter comes from factory farms, there goes our competitive advantage".

In an unlikely alignment Fonterra is echoing the Green Party message. Normally firmly on the side of increased production, Fonterra agrees there is a serious danger of the country losing sales overseas which we get now based on our clean, green image. The picture-postcard images of happy cows grazing in fields of lush green grass are already a significant stretch from reality given the intensification of dairy farming in recent years. Squeezing every last drop of milk from every blade of grass at the lowest input cost has had a huge negative impact on the environment.  "Dirty dairying" deserves its reputation.

The three companies applying to set up the indoor farms - Five Rivers, Southdown Holdings and Williamson Holdings - have stopped making public comment. They want approval from Environment Canterbury for their plans and they claim environmental benefits from easier collecting and managing of effluent and less leaching into the surrounding areas. The companies have plans for effluent ponds of 414 million litres of storage capacity and to spray 1.7 million litres of effluent on to the land each day.

The wider environmental impact, however, would be severe. Russel Norman has expressed concern about the impact of effluent runoff on the Upper Waitaki River and high country lakes such as Tekapo, Pukaki, and Ohau. The damage to local flora and fauna has been highlighted by others.

This is not farming as we know it. It's a production factory where living, sentient beings are milked for profit throughout their miserable lives. Russel Norman says the proposal is a "chilling prospect" from an animal welfare perspective and it's difficult to disagree. This is the dairy version of battery-hen farming.  

Not surprisingly, Federated Farmers president Don Nicholson supports the proposal. He says "so-called factory farming" cut costs and was environmentally friendly. Keeping animals in "cubicles", he says, would reduce the likelihood of effluent running into waterways.

Nicholson has always been a strong advocate for high production and chief apologist for environmental degradation and poor animal welfare practices. Thank heaven he doesn't represent mainstream farmers on this issue.

The only benefit to this proposal would be for the back pockets of the Queen Street farmers behind the venture. They can't see the damage for the dollar signs. They should back off.

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