Thomas Lance
once said “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix
it.” Well, I would be great to apply this in relation to the Waikato water
quality, however as the wise Darryl Kerrigan from ‘The Castle’ once ceremoniously said “Tell em’ he’s dreamen.” It is a sad reality, but more needs to be
done in order to reduce the Nitrate levels within the Waikato water-ways in
order to improve the water quality to a level that developed nations should all
be striving towards. The Waikato Regional Council acknowledges this, as does
the public, and the New Zealand Government. The issue now is to act on what
would be the best course of action to take on this.
Central
Government has begun to act on this with a number of key policy platforms that
have been enacted and built on under successive governments. In 2003, central
government brought together stakeholder groups to sign an agreement termed the ‘Dairying
and Clean Streams Accord’ which set targets for the sector to achieve within a
decadal time frame. This agreement brought together New Zealand’s largest
Fonterra (New Zealand’s largest dairy cooperative), the former Ministry of
Agriculture and Forestry, the Ministry for the Environment, and Local
Government New Zealand which represented all regional councils in the country.
Key targets set to limit the amount of runoff entering waterways included:
- - Exluding 90% of stock from waterways by 2012.
- - Bridge or culvert 90% of all regular stock crossings by 2012.
- - Achieve 100% compliance with effluent discharge regulations by 2010.
- - Nutrient management plans used by 90% of farms
The Dairying
and Clean Streams Accord was succeeded in 2012 by the ‘Sustainable Dairying:
Water Accord,’ which drew wider support, this time inclusive of the Fertilizer
Association of New Zealand. In terms of Nutrient management, this agreement
seeks to establish better data records for nitrogen runoff, and to incorporate expected
nitrogen runoff ‘hotspots’ into the design management of 85% of farms by
November 2014, and 100% of farms by November 2015. This agreement is also
encourages the creation of more riparian (buffer zones) with a target of 100%
of farms to have a Riparian planting plan in the overall farm management
strategy by 2020, and planting to be completed by 2030. This is generally
viewed by all groups within the sector as ‘progressively’ moving towards the
right direction in order to clean up the water-ways from nitrogen pollution.
Regulations and agreements are a step in the right direction as they enact a platform to build on and set targets for all stakeholders to achieve. But how do they achieve remediation of the problem they are seeking to reduce? By Smarter, Better, and Stronger practices:
Buffer Zones (Riparian Zones)
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| Example of a Buffer Zone in the Waikato Region. Source: Waikato Regional Council. |
Essentially, Buffer Zones (also referred to as Riparian Zones) are areas of exclusions adjacent to and near waterways which are planted with nutrient absorbing flora that align the banks in an effort to curb runoff entering the exposed waterways. This includes planting native shrubbery such as flax as seen in figure one. Under new guidelines set out in the Sustainable Dairying: Water Accord, Riparian Zones will need to be fenced off in order to exclude stock from waterways. Buffer Zones are effective in improving the water quality of streams and rivers because the deep rooted flora aligning the banks are able to intercept nutrients that are being leached through the soil. It is inevitable that some nutrients will enter waterways through the ground water system, however, nitrate levels should not increase at the rate currently experienced due to the halt of runoff through the interception of nutrients in the buffer zone.
Organic Supplements
Dr Ravi Sangakkra explaining how and what EMis do. Source: EMNZ
In order to achieve pastoral growth does not necessarily mean that fertilizers containing ammonia need to be heavily applied to be soils. Organic soils are being steadily developed for the purpose of applying on dairy farms as a supplement to the ammonia based fertilizers which is predominantly being applied in the Waikato region. An example of organic supplements is EM, created by EMNZ. EM essentially stands for Effective Micro-organisms. This is three bacteria species (photosynthetic bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, and yeasts) that are combined to create a mixture that can be applied in soil form to pasture in order to act as a fertilizer that will stimulate the growth of nutrients within soil. Essentially, this encourages soil to respire and for micro-organisms. This is not a replacement for the current fertilizers, although it is a useful supplement that would decrease the reliance on ammonia rich fertilizers.
There is huge debate over what can be done, what is being done wrong, and in the extreme cases, why are we even bothering? However, it is clear that intensive dairy farming and the application of fertilizers that promote the increase in nitrogen levels, are a primary cause of the degrading water quality in the Waikato region. As has been explained by just two examples, all stakeholders need to work collaboratively to address the Nitrate leaching into waterways. The mentality of all stakeholders needs to continue to work towards a Smarter, Better, Stronger approach to nutrient management.
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Sources:
Buffer Zone image - http://www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/
Dr Ravi Sangakkara explanation - http://www.emnz.com/about-em/
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