Hill country farmers are changing their attitudes to their erosion-prone country, says Agriculture and Forestry Minister David Carter. He was flown in a helicopter by Horizons Regional Council to check out flood protection in the lowland area and hill country. Mr Carter went to stopbanks on the lower Manawatu, Moutoa floodgates, Kopane Bridge and Pohangina and Turakina Valley hill country.

He said two hill country farmers he spoke to said there seemed to be a greater awareness of the erosion problem coming from the hills reports The Manawatu Standard. The sustainable land use initiative (SLUI) programme was developed around voluntary whole-farm plans which assess the farms’ physical, environmental and business resources in a structured way. They are funded by Horizons in partnership with the Government on a dollar-for-dollar deal, through MAF’s hill country erosion fund.

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Horizons Regional Council is still pushing to make intensive farming a controlled activity in the region and expects about 40 per cent of farms will need to clean up the way they operate reports The Manawatu Standard. The council is also not budging on its decision to keep stock out of waterways. Horizons wants to implement rules under the water chapter of its proposed one plan that allow only 20kg to 30kg of nitrate loss per hectare per year.

Of the 1000 dairy farms, irrigated sheep and beef, horticultural and cropping in the region, about 60 per cent are believed to already be within the proposed standards for nitrate loss. Farmers who can prove they are already meeting these standards will not have to apply for consent. Those who can’t will have their nitrate loss treated as a controlled activity and will have to take steps to lower their nitrate usage.

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