After failing to gain resource consent when the High court ruled against them on a procedural matter, the three companies wanting to develop large scale dairy in the Mackenzie Basin are trying again, much to the horror of environmentalists.
There are many issues at stake here, indoor housing of livestock, land use in the Mackenzie Basin, intensive agriculture, and the rights of landowners to use the land of their business as they see fit, under the rules of the district plan.
It is ironic that the recent horrendous weather event that claimed thousands of stock run outdoors, would not have happened in a indoor housed operation. If this operation can be successfully run under strict environmental regulations, why should it not be allowed to operate?
New Zealand promotes our competitive advantage by it's low cost grazing systems that allow it to produce quality food cheaper than our competitors. If these operators believe they can do it better under a cubicle housing system, should we not allow them to proceed, and see if NZ farming has lessons to learn?
Three companies are trying again to secure land use rights for large-scale dairy farming in the Omarama and Ohau regions of the South Island reports The NZ Herald. They want to develop 16 dairy farms with up to 17,850 cows housed in cubicles. Southdown Holdings, Williamson Holdings and Five Rivers obtained land use resource consents and certificates of compliance from the Waitaki council last year, but these were overturned by the High Court after a council staff member without the necessary delegated authority signed them off.
Now the applications have been lodged again and the land use resource consents this time will be notified for public submissions. However, the companies have requested they be put on hold, pending decisions from Environment Canterbury on the necessary water resource consents. The companies also reapplied to the Waitaki council for certificates of compliance for activities associated with the dairy farms that are permitted under the district plan. The certificates for dairy sheds and dairy farming activities have been issued and, under the Resource Management Act, are not subject to the public notification process.
The three developments have been controversial, leading to opposition from the local community and national groups such as the Green Party, Environmental Defence Society and Forest and Bird. They have opposed the dairy farms and proposed expansion of irrigation in the Mackenzie Basin, calling for an overall management plan to protect the Omarama, Ohau and Mackenzie Basin landscape.
Council chief executive Michael Ross said yesterday the council had to issue certificates of compliance if the developments complied with the district plan. The land use resource consents would be notified for public submissions because of the public interest.
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