But Mr Cullen fears the current low payout could affect farmers' ability to finance effluent system upgrades and compliance failure could be a big blow.
"Any heavy handed approach by council staff could push farmers who are under heavy stress financially over the edge. Extreme care and more of a carrot rather than a stick approach could work better."
Joe Carr, chairman of the NRC's Environmental Management Committee, said Northland appears to have lower compliance than other regions because the monitoring regime targets the four month post-August period of highest effluent loadings and systems' stress. Other regions spread their monitoring across the dairy season.
Mr Carr said 944 farms were visited by staff or contractors last season. Of the 697 farms with resource consent to discharge farm dairy effluent (FDE), 419 (60 per cent) fully complied, 188 (27 per cent) had minor compliance issues and 90 (13 per cent) were significantly non-compliant.
Mr Carr said the 13 per cent non-compliance rate was the lowest it had ever been. Last year, 139 farms (20 per cent) had significantly failed to comply.
While all stakeholders are trying hard, there is obviously still room for further improvement, Mr Carr said.
"However, it's pleasing to see the industry collectively lifting its game and making some real gains in terms of overall compliance and subsequent improvements in water quality.
"Our overall monitoring programme is very robust and identifies actual problems. We are then able to work with our farmers to address and improve issues. To that end, significant non-compliance in Northland is typically followed up with an advisory visit," Mr Carr said.
"If other regions applied the same rigour to their monitoring regimes, I honestly believe their results would be at best similar and probably much worse."
