Salmon Farmers Fear for Water and Livelihoods; ‘Dirty Dairying’ Debate

By GORMAN, Paul

Mackenzie Country salmon farmers fear “dirty dairying” may contaminate pristine waterways, ruin livelihoods and damage New Zealand’s reputation for quality produce.

They say chemicals from fertilisers on dairy farms could leak into rivers, streams and lakes, and from there filter into the hydro canals they use to rear salmon.

The availability of large-scale irrigation systems is changing land-use patterns in the semi- arid inland basin and allowing for increasingly intensive farming operations, such as dairying.

The Government’s tenure review process is also being blamed by some for turning tracts of the high country, such as the Mackenzie Country, into bland areas of dairy farms and lifestyle properties.

Twizel salmon farmer Richard Logan believes residents and organisations such as Environment Canterbury and Fish and Game urgently need to talk about the issues and plan a co-ordinated response.

While there was no antagonism towards dairy farmers in the area, there were concerns that the growth of dairying could get out of hand and the rising quantity of fertilisers being used would leach into waterways, he said.

“We all want to see someone else survive and bring wealth to the country, but a lot of us don’t like the changes going on,” he said.

Logan, the owner-manager of High Country Salmon, said his business grew about 50 tonnes of chinook salmon a year, but there were other salmon farms in the region supplying more than twice that.

“I’m not opposed to dairying, but we’re all opposed to dirty dairying,” he said.

“If the water begins to get damaged through any activity, usually from dairy and other agricultural run-off, it could affect the flavour of the fish, and that’s not in our interest.

“As long as no-one is spoiling the environment, there shouldn’t be too many restrictions. But if they are damaging the environment, there should be total restrictions. The environment has to last forever.”

Mount Cook Salmon manager Rick Ramsay said he had kept water- quality records for 15 years at his farm on the Tekapo canal.

“The water quality in the (Mackenzie) basin has been absolutely pristine. It’s a selling point. It’s hard to find that quality anywhere else in the world,” he said.

“There would be a large number of indicators of things that might be happening (to the water) through intensive development or new housing around the lakes.

“With dairy, there would be a concern about leachates into the water. We’re keeping an eye on it.”

Dairy Farmers of New Zealand chairman Frank Brenmuhl said people kept “pointing the finger” at dairying and agriculture but there needed to be a balanced debate.

“I am really concerned with the fixation people have with dairy and the belief that it is a major issue in terms of problems,” he said.

“I’m concerned about people who value landscape above all else. Whether we like it or not, New Zealand has to move ahead and prosper.

“The whole of the Canterbury Plains, if left unirrigated, wouldn’t produce much of what it does. You wouldn’t get the flowers, the vegetables or most of those things. That’s the kind of logic we’re getting here.”

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(c) 2007 Press, The; Christchurch, New Zealand. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.