Water Quality Report an Excellent Resource

21 MARCH 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Water Quality Report an Excellent Resource

Beef + Lamb New Zealand congratulates the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Jan Wright, on her report on the science of water quality, released yesterday.

The report will provide an excellent resource for anyone with an interest in water quality issues, says Beef + Lamb New Zealand Chairman, Mike Petersen.

“Commissioner Wright and her team have done a very good job of putting the current state of New Zealand ’s waterways into an historical context – showing how the economic and environmental values of the past have led us to where we are today.”

Petersen also praises the report for explaining the science “in a plain and easy to understand fashion”.

Of major interest to the sheep and beef sector is the section on sediment. It recognises that erosion is a natural process but that too much or accelerated erosion has a significant impact on water quality.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand has researched the impact of sheep and beef farming on the environment, as well as seeking out independent information and working with environmental NGOs.

“We conclude the best thing we can do to help sheep and beef farmers meet their environmental responsibilities is to focus on sediment and phosphorus management,” Petersen says.

“As an industry good, levy-funded body we obviously cannot compel sheep and beef farmers to take any specific action. However we are able to provide them with tools, information and services to help them farm sustainably and profitably.”

This year, Beef + Lamb New Zealand will be reworking its Land and Environment Planning Toolkit to reflect this focus. The toolkit will be available in modules so sheep and beef producers can easily choose the tools and management techniques that best suit their particular farm and priorities.

Petersen adds: “Sheep and beef producers have always played an important role as stewards of the land and continue to do so. We now need to meet the challenge of continuing to improve productivity and efficiency while meeting the increasing societal expectations of care for the environment.”

ENDS

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