Dairy boom puts environment 'at risk'

Environment Southland is battling to defend the environment against the harmful effects of the dairy industry's unprecedented growth in the region.

Council chief executive Ciaran Keogh said the race was on to keep pace with the rise of the dairy sector and keep the negative environmental impacts at bay.

In 2000, there were 444 dairy farms in Southland, which had ballooned to 772 this year, while the dairy herd population of 50,000 cows 20 years ago had now grown to close to half a million in 2009, he said.

"Each one of those cows is causing us work and we're fast approaching the limit of what the region and its groundwater resources can take without the proper precautions."

The sustained growth caught everyone by surprise and in the beginning the industry was largely unchecked by legislation, he said.

"So it is a bit of a game of catch up and without safeguards in place not only is the environment at risk, the entire industry could be curtailed," he said.

Southland was not beyond the point of no return, but leadership was needed from both the council and industry leaders to make dairy farming sustainable, he said.

The council was hiring up to 24 extra staff to monitor compliance and check the effects the farming was having in the region, he said.

"Most farmers do want to do things right but things do get on top of them. Eighty per cent of farmers do a good job and we have no issue with them. it is the remainder that need to be brought back into line with guidance or probably need a rocket."

It was time for everyone to up the ante, he said.

There would also be a comprehensive review of dairy consents, many of which were granted under the old standards, he said.

"We are very aware of the economic benefits of dairying in the province. But we do need to protect the environment for everyone's benefit, including farmers.

"Sometimes the environment can be ignored and now more than ever it can't be," he said.

Fonterra's sustainable production general manager John Hutchings said Fonterra was already taking a leadership role through the clean streams accord and effluent improvement system which aims to cut significant non-compliance by 50 per cent by August 2011.

"We are very happy to exercise leadership, sustainable dairying is the future, it's in everybody's interest."

Fonterra has made significant investments in Southland's economy and the protection of the environment also served to protect those investments, he said.

- © Fairfax NZ News