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.
7 Comments
20000000000000000000000000000000000000 tons of milk exported to Asia - great !
100% clean & green NZ !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PHlYvpTMDA
In the current economic climate I still hope we can develop a sustainable economy here in NZ.
The production side needs more stimuli no doubt about that. I’m not in favour to extent, but to increase sustainability, quality and diversity in agriculture – the only successful way in correlation to our overall economic principles here in New Zealand.
In the current crises and beyond, employment is the big issue for New Zealand. Our economy doesn’t offer enough decent jobs, especially for the younger generation. High education and then exporting the talented isn’t a good idea – in fact disasters for our economy. As I described many times a fantastic opportunity entering a new phase is planning, designing and constructing our own infrastructure needs – based on a “Green economic model”http://www.green-innovations.asn.au/econ-mdl.htm An economic initiative, which not only create full quality employment solutions, higher wages, but also reduces our current massive account deficit.
…and for all the ones, who think buying overseas is cheaper – just keep on reading:
…and I see a high number of young people walking the street doing nothing. ...and I see MP Steven Joyce saying: All imported, because it is cheaper....and I see more idiots saying the same. ...and I see more young people walking the streets doing nothing. ...and I see young people getting together forming gangs - not working gangs constructing our most needed infrastructures in factories - but destructing. … and I see Steven Joyce saying in parliament we do need more police. …and I see the public saying - Yes we do need more police. ….and we do have more police. …and we do build more prisons….and I see Steven Joyce saying in parilament we do need more money…. and we are stuffed as a nation !
Interesting how the Govt stuffs up. Farmers went through the high country tenure review and came out with enough money to engage in ventures like this. We owned the high country in the first place why did labour then go and pay out the huge sums involved in some of the settlements. This idea is dumb either way up.
At least one of the group's members (the Williamson family) is immensely wealthy by NZ standards, courtesy of Aunty Helen and the ever-shafted taxpayer, who paid a scandalously inflated price for the Williamson's previous property in the Ahuriri valley. That settlement also included the large property they now own, near the town of Twizel.
These are seriously wealthy people, who are used to getting whatever they want, whenever and wherever they want it, and who know that they will always eventually get it come what may, especially with an avowedly farmer-friendly government in power.
The high country has been transformed by dairy conversions, but not in a good way. Besides the obvious aesthetic considerations, the area's groundwater has been badly effected, and previously-absent pests such as mosquitoes now flourish.
The Mackenzie Irrigation Company is presently negotiating with Meridian Energy and Genesis Energy for water rights and consents (many of which have already been granted) in order to convert vast swathes of currently unspoiled High Country tussock areas between Twizel and Burke's Pass (north of Lake Tekapo) into enormous dairy farms.
If you're a fan of the iconic Mackenzie High Country that was, I suggest you head down there and see it now, while you still can, because very soon it will be just another stinking agri-blot on the landscape, a-la the Canterbury and Waikato plains.
Damn It !
Guy watch the movie called :King Corn" because there are some interesting points in that movie about the American feedlot system.
Some facts from the movie
-100,000 cows produce as much waste in a year as a city of 1.7 million people -think about that up in the high country.
- The meat produced ( and here it is milk) contains level of fat much, much higher than pasture raised beef. I think the essence of the end product will be affected in a similar drastic way by this way of farming.
- The grain based diet fed to the cows is very very bad for them leading to increased stomach acids and a range of other health problems which are combatted not by changing the diet - No but with antibiotics, which of course end up in the food we eat.
It all ends up in the products we consume.
If you think intensive farming is good for anyone animal or human you are not thinking properly.
The only people who it is good for are the money men.
Quick profits and damn the consequences.
Please do not let this project or any similar intensive farming invade our beautiful country.
a similar doco, Mr Jett, is Food Inc, about the American food industry. Perhaps you've seen it.
NZ farming is not that bad, but there is a trend in that direction and I wonder if we know what the costs are.
Towards the end of Food Inc they are talking to a rural worker whose business was helping farmers recover seeds from their crops to plant the next year, and how he was put out of business by the bug agribusiness firms - monsanto etc.
I happened to be watching this with my father in law who was a south island crop famer for many years, and he said that the same thing has happened here. He said that when he tried to save some of his seed he had very lawyerly visits from the seed companies and from Federated farmers, who were on the side of the big agribusinesses, not the farmers.
Wouldn't it be fascinating to see just what Federated Farmer's funding is made up of? What are their real interests?
We welcome your comments below. If you are not already registered, please register to comment.
Remember we welcome robust, respectful and insightful debate. We don't welcome abusive or defamatory comments and will de-register those repeatedly making such comments. Our current comment policy is here.