The ''greening'' of the Cromwell district for dairying is undesirable, a planning panel was told this week.
''Green is aesthetically displeasing. Cromwell is not meant to be green, but the impact of dairying on water quality is most disturbing,'' Cromwell and District Community Trust chairwoman Jacqui Rule said.
She was responding to a question from the Central Otago District Council hearing panel chairman John Lane about whether the trust's concerns about dairy farming in the district revolved around the ''greening of the landscape'' or the potential adverse effects on the environment.
The trust's views were among 108 submissions to the district plan review discussion document.
The panel heard submissions for three days this week and will take those views into account when finalising the plan review.
Mrs Rule said Maori Point was all ''green grass and pivot irrigators everywhere ... it should be brown''.
The trust disagreed with the council's stance that no distinction could be drawn between dairying and other types of farming.
It believed intensive animal farming had inherent discharges and used more irrigation which had more effects on the visual landscape and resulted in more discharges to air, water and, therefore, the land.
Asked if the trust was saying rural land should not be used to grow anything, Mrs Rule said it was unfortunate there were ''unlikable byproducts'' from the greening of the district.
The trust had also been ''picking on the Otago Regional Council'' on the matter of dairying, she said.
In response to a question from council planning and environment manager Louise van der Voort, trust member Janeen Wood said there was no representation from rural people on the trust.
In its discussion document, the council said the regional council was the best agency to address issues associated with dairying, in terms of soil conservation and water quality.
The regional council's regime for improving water quality had been put in place through Plan Change 6A to the regional water plan.
Mrs Rule said there would always be people who did not comply with the water regulations.
''The only way to fix it, is for them [those types of farming operations] not to be there.''
If Lake Dunstan was ''unswimmable'' in 50 years' time, because of pollution, it was too late then to complain about intensive land use, she said.
Council planning consultant David Whitney said it would be a ''big call'' for the council to suggest to farmers dairying was ruled out on their property.
Dairying was a permitted use, as was viticulture.
He asked whether the trust had similar concerns about the establishment of vineyards and Mrs Rule said she believed vineyards had less of an impact on the environment.
