PCE water report should serve as a ‘wake-up call’

PCE water report should serve as a ‘wake-up call’

The findings of the just released report, Water quality in New Zealand: Land use and nutrient pollution, by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Dr Jan Wright should serve as a call to action for farmers, says a major natural fertiliser company.

The report, which follows the release of a discussion document last week by Government setting ‘compulsory’ national values and outcomes, uses modelling that shows that annual nitrogen loads on fresh water continue to rise in virtually every region in New Zealand with the expansion of dairy farming – particularly in Canterbury, Southland and Otago.

Keith Jackson, General Manager of Viafos Limited, says these reports and increasing regulations by regional councils mean farmers need to ensure accurate nutrient budgeting of nitrogen and phosphorous. “Like anything, it’s not the report itself but what we do with the information that counts.”

As the commissioner herself notes, the outcome of the modelling exercise is not good news. “The modelling arguably represents the worst case scenario, but it does highlight the cumulative effects of land use intensity upon water,” says Mr Jackson.

“Our soil is our greatest asset and the key to our livelihoods. A constant barrage of low nutrient chemical missiles eventually has an effect.”

Mr Jackson says natural nitrogen products, nitrogen inhibitors, liquid applications that allow more urea to be made available are all available on the market and can either assist the current urea over application or be an alternative to it. “The same applies to phosphates, Viafos guano phosphate simply does not have the detrimental effects on the environment like chemical super phosphates, runoff, leaching, soil fixation are minor (almost negligible) in comparison.

“The main reason is that Viafos guano phosphate is mostly non-water soluble , relying on soil biology for transportation to the plant root zone where it is available on an as required basis rather than an uncontrolled basis, making it much more efficient than chemical phosphates where around 75% of the phosphate can be lost.“

Mr Jackson says that while chemical phosphate applications are not cheap when accounting for what is actually available, they are being oversold in many cases where they are simply not needed. “Good plant root length and a healthy soil that can more adequately manage drought and heavy rainfall should be the focus for farmers, so it is encouraging to note the progress of change in farmers wanting to learn and build knowledge about soil as they look at non chemical fertiliser alternatives that mitigate many of the adverse environmental effects.”

ABOUT VIAFOS IMPORTING LTD

Initiated by soil consultants concerned about the long term impacts of chemical fertilisers, Viafos was established in 2009 as an importer and wholesaler of a range of quality natural fertilisers with nutrient rich ancient bird guano phosphate fertiliser (Viafos) being the backbone. Viafos products, mined safely at source, are available nationally through a network of retailers who are focused on biological farming and aim to reverse the damage being done through overuse of chemical fertilisers. The company’s vision is to contribute to a healthier New Zealand through improved knowledge and understanding of soils and the application of better nutrient and plant available fertilisers.

ENDS

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