Farmers form advisory group

DONNA WALSH/Waikato Times

LISTEN UP: Dairy NZ's Mike Bramley speaks to farmers at Drumlea.

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Farmers are establishing their own effluent advisory group after accusing Environment Waikato of abandoning giving farmers advice to focus on prosecuting them.

John Bluett, vice president of Federated Farmers dairy section, warned farmers to keep their mouths shut when visited by an officer from the regional council because of the change in emphasis.

"I would be very careful. Farmers have to protect themselves," Mr Bluett said. "If you ask them questions about certain things they won't tell you.

"They have gone from EW advisory to EW prosecution and it's got more and more. It's sad that we have come to this."

The warning comes after the council, with Fonterra and industry good organisation DairyNZ, ran a series of effluent management field days across the region after a handful of high-profile prosecutions including the Crafars and Piopio dairy farmer Ben Watson.

Mr Bluett estimated the council had only conducted routine inspections on about half of the region's 5000 dairy farms in the last four years.

Environment Waikato rules say farmers must not exceed an effluent application depth of 25 millimetres per application, exceed 150 kilograms of nitrogen per ha per year or allow any effluent to enter streams, drains or groundwater.

Mr Bluett said about 70 per cent of farmers estimated how much effluent to put on rather than delivering a set amount.

"If you are putting it on and you get runoff you are going to get a ping," Mr Bluett warned.

Neil McLean said the council had lost its laissez faire approach.

Craig Littin, who farms near Putaruru and had visits from EW staff on his farm, said: "We felt they were coming out to prosecute than to advise. At the moment it seems to be them against us and we should be working together."

Another farmer, John Woodman, said a problem farmers faced was the way different EW staff interpreted the rules.

"I was at a meeting where two were just about at fisticuffs over this," Mr Bluett said.

James Houghton, chairman of Waikato Federated Farmers dairy industry group, compared the situation to police conducting warrant of fitness checks for cars.

"We need to get something out on farm to help and assist farmers. Farmers put the system in place in good faith that it will work.

"We need them to educate farmers as to what changes they need to put in place."

Waikato Federated Farmers, unhappy with the way Environment Waikato ran an agricultural summit last month, is planning its own economic summit on December 7.

The summit, which will be closed to the public and press, is being called after Mr Bluett claimed farmers went away on a sour note after environmentalists were given the last word by Christchurch consultant Don Ross, who chaired the event.

- © Fairfax NZ News