Greenpeace Aotearoa is condemning the ACT Party’s agricultural policy, which would strip back a range of environmental regulations for the sector. Greenpeace says the policy is badly out of touch with reality.

Christine Rose, Greenpeace spokesperson, says "ACT’s agricultural policy is reckless and dangerous. It will lead to worsening climate pollution, more unswimmable rivers and more contaminated drinking water in rural communities due to unchecked intensive dairying. It will also damage New Zealand’s global trade reputation.

"Regulations exist to protect our health and the natural systems we depend on, like a stable climate and clean water.

"ACT’s agriculture policy shows that the Party is unwilling to set the responsible and ambitious climate and freshwater policy that New Zealanders want from our future government.

"Regional councils don’t have the capacity to handle the monitoring and enforcement responsibilities that ACT wants to give them. This policy will add to uncertainty, costs and environmental decline," says Rose.

Greenpeace says that effective agricultural policy must include strong regulation to safeguard the health of people’s drinking water, rivers and the climate. This means phasing out synthetic nitrogen fertiliser, halving the dairy herd, and supporting a transition to more plant-based regenerative, organic agriculture.

© Scoop Media