Government's water rules likely to dilute milk flows

Dairy farmers are worried about the impact of Government irrigation and watering regulations on their milk production practices, says American academic Bill Bailey.

Professor of agriculture studies at Western Illinois University, Bailey said: "With most of the recent growth in production coming from putting new herds on irrigated areas rather than increased per-cow productivity as in the United States, water use limitations or restrictions could have a direct and negative impact on production."

Bailey, who formerly held the chair in agribusiness at Massey University, now writes in an on-line commodities report published by the ASB Bank.

Agriculture Minister Jim Anderton and Environment Minister David Benson-Pope this month unveiled proposals for the Government to take a greater role in the protection and distribution of water.

"The days of taking the unlimited use of water for granted are over," Anderton said.

Next February, the Government will be given a report on improving transfers of water consents, allowing regional councils to recover the cost of water management and setting minimum flows for water bodies.

And, in March, it will get a report on how councils can manage "over-allocated" catchments - likely to mark the end of the first-come, first-served approach to present water allocations.

Some environmental lobbies have called for resource consents in over-allocated areas to be clawed back from farmers.

Meanwhile, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Morgan Williams has urged farmers to redesign their systems because rapid expansions in the use of nitrogen fertilisers, increased stocking rates and increased irrigation are threatening soils and fresh water.

- NZPA