Federated Farmers is staunch on the importance of good evidence. If we have a good grip on the size and shape of the problem, we are in with a fighting chance of sorting it efficiently.
Policies impacting the farming sector have too often rested on shaky foundations.
A few skinny bits of data sloshed together with a lot of assumptions.
The good news is some very good work is now coming out of research agencies such as NIWA (water) and LandcareResearch (soils).
To give an example, NIWA has just completed an analysis of algae hotspots for Horizons Regional Council. Algae is the weed we see in rivers - some is a good thing, too much is not.