cThe Waitaki District Council supports the decision by
Environment Minister Nick Smith to "call in" the associated
consent applications for controversial intensive dairy
farming proposals in the Omarama and Ohau area.
In a statement yesterday, chief executive Michael Ross said
water from the Waitaki catchment was used for irrigation,
recreation and to supply drinking water to towns including
Omarama, Kurow and Oamaru.
"Ensuring good quality water is of critical importance for
all our communities," Mr Ross said.
Dr Smith's decision means the consents will now be decided by
a five-member board of inquiry, rather than by an Environment
Canterbury panel.
In a statement, Mackenzie Guardians spokeswoman Jane Zusters
said the call-in signalled the need for urgent reassessment
of landscape and ecosystem protection.
Government agencies, such as the Department of Conservation,
Land Information New Zealand and the Ministry for the
Environment, needed to implement long-term protection of the
landscapes, waters and biodiversity of the area.
While cow cubicles had sparked widespread interest, it was
the current rapid change and threatened changes in the
landscape context that was of the greatest concern, she said.
Dairy decision supported by district council
The "cow cubicles" in the proposal allow the cows much more freedom than the average racehorse gets but we don't hear protests about them. The biggest change to the landscape has already happened with the removal of wilding pines from Glen Eyrie Station. Lets hope Mackenzie Guardians will encourage other landowners to follow suit especially around Twizel and Lake Ohau Village. Water quality is a real issue and the applicants will need to change their proposed effluent management system to get my support.