ORC and dairy industry adopt collaborative approach to achieving improved water quality

An industry-wide collaborative approach to helping dairy farms meet ORC’s water quality standards is under way in Otago.

ORC recently hosted a meeting of southern industry representatives in Dunedin. The aim was to discuss ways of supporting and guiding landholders that the council has identified as being at risk of non-compliance in areas such as control of effluent runoff and ponding.

The dairy industry stakeholder group includes representatives of ORC, Federated Farmers, DairyNZ, and dairy companies Fonterra and Open Country.

ORC is involved in similar collaborative work on water quality with the sheep and beef and forestry industries.

ORC chief executive Peter Bodeker said the external agencies which make up the dairy industry stakeholder group had a valuable support role to play in helping farmers meet their Otago Water Plan obligations.

“These industry bodies and dairy companies have the networks and resources that can help farmers at risk of facing compliance action. I am delighted at their willingness to work with us as partners.”

“This means we can take a co-ordinated approach to helping landholders understand the Water Plan requirements and support them towards achieving compliance.”

Mr Bodeker said the industry representatives were prepared to work with individual landholders to provide a greater level of support and advice.

However, ultimate responsibility for monitoring compliance remained the responsibility of ORC and where significant breaches occurred, offenders were liable for enforcement action, he said.

“The wider community has made it clear that good water quality is important to them, and we have a duty and an obligation to ensure that land management practices which result in gross pollution of waterways are discouraged,” Mr Bodeker said.

ENDS

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