This is an opportunity for the sector to stay ahead of environmental challenges, says DairyNZ expert.
The time is right to have a renewed conversation regarding dairy expansion, says DairyNZ general manager for farm solutions and policy David Burger.
The conversation around dairy expansion has started in some regions, he told the DairyNZ Farmers Forum in Hamilton, referring to Farmers Weekly reporting on a new wave of dairy expansions in Canterbury.
While it is the right time to have that conversation, Burger warned it has to be done with care.
“This is also a unique opportunity for the sector to lead with solutions and the science to try to get ahead of this and stay ahead of these environmental challenges, which we know we need to continue to solve across many of our catchments well into the future.
“We can’t afford to go back on the 20 years of progress we have made in this sector, clawing back our social licence to the point where we are making really good progress.”
The wave of expansions are due to the removal of intensification rules. As long as the landowner can demonstrate that their future footprint is the same or less than what the land is currently, potentially there is room for expansion, he said.
Burger said the narrative around constraints and declines in the dairy industry has shifted over the past few years to one that is a lot more positive around what dairy can offer the country and help drive economic growth.
He pushed for a catchment approach to resolving water quality issues.
The dairy sector has been under the public magnifying glass over the past 20 years and the debate over water quality has really polarised farmers and communities and cost the industry millions in litigation.
“It’s also created significant uncertainty for you as farmers and for the sector as a whole.”
On top of that are rule changes around freshwater management, with the industry waiting for a new National Policy Statement on freshwater, due out for consultation soon.
Freshwater policies have to be more enduring, he said.
“We can’t have a ping-pong of policies and we can’t have a whiplash either.”
While there is a perception that the current government is taking policies away, they are in fact simply being recast, which is a concern.
“We don’t know what this is going to mean next year or the years later. The last thing we want is more regulations coming and more regulations changing. We need an enduring solution and we need a more balanced approach.”
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