LOBBYISTS are complaining confusion over nitrogen levels will lead to non-compliance
WAIKATO farmers have the lowest nitrogen reporting compliance of any of the country’s three major dairying regions, environmental lobbyist group Forest and Bird says.
Of the three powerhouse dairy provinces, Southland farmers had the highest reporting, with figures provided by 81%, or 777, dairy farms. In Canterbury, 667 dairy farms, or 47% of qualifying farms, reported, and in Waikato, which has about as many herds as the entire South Island, compliance was 28%.
Using 2020/21 statistics, Waikato had 3130 dairy herds comprising about 1.1 million cows, freshwater advocate for conservation lobby group Forest & Bird, Tom Kay, said. The reporting data for Waikato and Canterbury was “shockingly low”.
“It’s crazy that almost three years after the reporting requirements were publicised, and almost a year since the first set of data was meant to be submitted, the reporting numbers are so low.”
Improving the environment requires upholding bottom lines, Tom said – “this is one of them, and it’s not even that substantial”.
In the Waikato region, 1064 dairy platforms reported their synthetic nitrogen use for 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022, Waikato Regional Council’s Rural Compliance Team Leader, Evan Billington said.
(Dairy farmers with 20 hectares or larger of grazed land need to report their nitrogen use annually for the 12-month period from 1 July to 30 June by 31 July, each year, starting in 2022.)
“As at October 31, 2023, we have had 1421 notifications of synthetic nitrogen use for 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023. Of the 1421 that have submitted, the data indicates that 19 farms have exceeded the limit; however, some of these numbers are certainly reporting errors.
“We have a range of approaches to support improved compliance outcomes. As these are relatively new requirements for farmers, we have so far focused on educating and engaging them in the reporting process. Amongst other things, this has involved contacting every dairy farmer in the region.”
One of the most effective ways of engaging with farmers – in particular those where higher usage has been recorded – to be through implementation of the national ‘Freshwater Farm Plan’ regulations and Waikato Regional Council’s ‘Plan Change 1’, Evan said.
“Over time, a graduated response to ongoing or persistent non-compliance may be necessary.”
The lobbyists say everything would continue getting worse if councils don’t put money into compliance and enforcement, and without “real oversight” from a central agency, such as the Ministry for the Environment.
(In August last year, Federated Farmers wrote to Parker decrying confused messaging from his ministry and regional councils, which caused stress to farmers.
It called for the deadline to move to December 31.)
Christine Rose, Greenpeace’s lead climate campaigner, says the fertiliser reporting system appeared unfit for purpose, and regional councils were allowing “blatant non-compliance”.
Public confidence and ecological standards are being eroded by a fertiliser cap that was too high, and wasn’t being properly implemented or enforced.
“Areas with high rates of non-compliance are also New Zealand’s most dairy-intensive regions, where addressing environmental harm relies on reducing the impacts of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser and too many cows,” Christine said.
In the Waikato there are three options for dairy farmers reporting nitrogen use, ahead of the annual reporting deadline.
Farmers only need to submit their annual report once and can use any one of three tools to do so.
Ravensdown’s HawkEye app
Ballance’s MyBallance app
Regional and unitary council’s N-Cap web portal
Once submitted, WRC staff will be notified automatically, so there is no need for a separate report to the council.
Farmers not currently a client of one of the two suppliers that offer reporting apps, may still be able to arrange with them to report your use via their platforms.
