Beef + Lamb New Zealand has published its submission on the Government’s proposed amendments to a range of Resource Management Act (RMA) national direction instruments.
Chair Kate Acland says there was a wide range of proposals in the consultation so B+LNZ’s submission focused on the key ones for its farmers, reflecting farmer input and taking an evidence-based approach.
“We engaged with farmers throughout the consultation to ensure we captured their views. We ran webinars and conducted a survey, and we held small group meetings that included our Environment Reference Group, made up of B+LNZ Farmer Councilors and Kāhui, to test proposals in detail.
“Through these processes we were able to gather specific on-farm examples to use in our submission and show the impact of some of the proposals.
“It’s critical the Government get these proposals right – we desperately need robust, inexpensive and uncomplicated frameworks for freshwater and the wider environment that deliver enduring, but also reasonable and affordable, outcomes.”
Proposals as part of the freshwater package are a key focus for B+LNZ’s submission.
Acland says B+LNZ worked with farmers on a set of principles that could underpin a new National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPS-FM) or new national standards, and this is reflected in its submission.
In its proposals, the Government included options to change which water quality attributes (for example E. coli, nitrogen, sediment) should be compulsory or optional for councils to manage and set limits for.
“Our submission argues there should be no national bottom lines for contaminants and rules need to better account for natural processes, better accommodate different land uses and provide more realistic targets and timeframes.
“This is backed by the independent peer-reviewed research by Torlesse Environmental we released last year. That research showed the suspended fine sediment and E. coli national bottom lines are fundamentally flawed and need to be urgently changed”.
Acland says a community-driven, targeted, and risk-based approach is crucial to balance the economic viability of farming businesses with environmental sustainability.
B+LNZ is advocating for a revised NPS-FM to be developed as soon as possible to help fix identified issues. It says having the revised NPS-FM in place would help councils prepare for the new Resource Management Act.
“Also under the freshwater package proposals, we note there are major inconsistencies in how wetlands are treated within Biodiversity and Freshwater national instruments, and we argue for a more holistic approach across instruments. Additionally, the definition of a wetland is unclear,” Acland says.
“We also argue we need easier pathways around water security and storage. Settings should enable farmers to build in climate change resilience to their farming businesses.”
B+LNZ’s submission covers several proposals under the primary sector package.
“One point we’re particularly concerned about is the proposal to remove LUC 3 land from the NPS for Highly Productive Land.
“B+LNZ’s analysis shows how much sheep and beef farmland is on LUC 3 land and that the importance of sheep and beef land cannot be overlooked or undervalued. This has significant implications for our sector but also rural communities and New Zealand’s economy.
“Our submission also includes important considerations such as equity – we argue that policy settings should not pick winners and all parts of the food production sector should be treated the same.”
ENDS
Notes for editors:
- Download B+LNZ’s submission (PDF, 939 KB)
- Further information on the national bottom lines research referred to above can be found here: https://beeflambnz.com/news/independent-review-highlights-fundamental-flaws-key-freshwater-targets
- RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop recently said there will be a second phase of public consultation on freshwater national direction changes later this year when exposure drafts are released.
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