24 | nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » John and Jill Bluett Better water quality achieved through investment Russell Fredric Years of practical environmental improvements have convinced Waikato dairy farmer John Bluett that better water quality is achieved through on-farm investment, not an increasingly complex consenting process. Having been involved in discussions around Waikato Regional Council’s Plan Change 1 since its early development more than a decade ago, John has watched the proposal evolve through consultation, negotiation and years of legal challenges. While he supports the objective of healthier waterways, he believes the current framework risks diverting farmers’ time and money away from environmental work and into administration. John and his family milk about 790 cows on a 300ha property, with 280ha effective, on predominantly Hamilton clay loam soils west of Hamilton. Receiving about 2,000mm of annual rainfall each year, including particularly wet winters, the farm has progressively invested in infrastructure designed to reduce environmental impacts, including feed pads, stand-off areas, a 50-bale rotary dairy, extensive riparian planting and a seven million litre effluent storage system. “I think we’ve planted 7,000 trees in riparian margins, fenced all our waterways, put in seven million litres of effluent storage and built sediment traps so runoff from the races doesn’t go straight into the streams.” Those improvements closely reflect the objectives of Plan Change 1, which aims to improve the health of the Waikato and Waipa rivers by reducing nitrogen, phosphorus, sediment and microbial contaminants from farming. The plan introduces minimum environmental standards, Certified Farm Environment Plans for most farms and, for many properties, resource consent requirements depending on land use and environmental risk. Much of the dairy sector has already invested heavily in practical environmental improvements, John says. “A lot of dairy farmers had already fenced waterways and were doing riparian planting well before this. Farmers want better waterways too, but we want to work within a framework where the money goes into environmental improvements rather than administration.” Goodwright Contracting Ltd is pleased to be associated with John and Jill Bluett Diggers • Bulldozer • Truck & Trailers • Tractor & Trailers • Effluent Ponds Feed Pads • Ground work • Ag Lime & Fert Cartage All Grades of Metal • Sand • BALING / WRAPPING • GROUNDWORK / FULL CULTIVATION • DRILLING • CARTAGE • CHOPPING • CROP SPRAYING • LIQUID FERTILISER SPRAYING • LOADER WAGON • MAIZE PLANTING / STRIP TILLAGE Mike: 021 942 120 • Chris: 021 942 121 • Phone Office: 07 871 9565 e: agreymer@gmail.com • www.reymerag.co.nz • 768 Pirongia Rd, RD6, Te Awamutu REYMER AG NEW HOMES | BREAKDOWNS | RESIDENTIAL REWIRES | HEAT PUMPS | LIGHTING | SECURITY Te Awamutu Call Chris - 027 438 7883 gibsonelectricalltd@gmail.com Under the current framework, many dairy farms will require resource consent alongside a Certified Farm Environment Plan. While John accepts the need for environmental planning, he believes the greatest challenge will be the cost of preparing, auditing and maintaining consents under legislation that may soon be replaced through Resource Management Act reform. “The biggest effect will be the administration costs. The plans have to be prepared, audited and reviewed, then you’ve got the consenting process on top of that. Hopefully the new Resource Management Act will allow farmers to operate under practical farm plans instead of expensive resource consents.” Another concern is whether there will be enough suitably experienced people to prepare plans and assess consents consistently, John says. “It’s got to be a practical solution. The risk is that you end up with a consenting system that isn’t practical for farming businesses.” Plan Change 1 also proposes tighter controls on some land-use changes, meaning properties that previously operated as dairy farms could face a significant consent process before returning to dairying. “Our 43-hectare runoff was a dairy farm about 20 years ago. If one of the neighbouring dairy farmers wanted to buy it and milk cows on it now, they’d have to go through quite a major resource consent process.” The environmental work on John’s farm is continuing regardless of the regulatory outcome. “Our water comes off Mount Pirongia, so what happens upstream affects us as well. We’re still planting trees, maintaining sediment traps and improving the farm because that’s what improves water quality. If the money goes into practical work instead of paperwork, I think everyone benefits.” Major earthworks under way at John Bluett’s 230ha dairy unit at Te Pahu. A small pond and sump has been replaced with a seven million litre lined pond.
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