March 07, 2016
Landcorp drops megacow plan
Hauraki Waikato MP Nanaia Mahuta has welcomed Landcorp’s decision to scale back its conversion of south Waikato forestry land to dairy farms.
The state owned farmer says its plan to run up to 43,000 cows on the 14,500ha leased from Wairakei Pastoral didn’t measure up on environmental grounds.
There are currently 17,000 cows on 13 dairy farms, and the company will now look at other land use options including milking sheep.
Ms Mahuta says the original plan would have strained the capacity of the Waikato River catchment and had grave consequences for the efforts of river iwi to clean up the awa.
"There isn’t a high appetite to have increased new farm land in our rohe but the focus is really around improving the sustainability of existing farming pracitices and going green, if I can say that. And doing things that are better for the environment, fencing off waterways, looking at the issue of nitrogen loading, looking for alternatives in terms of more sustainable ways of dairy farming," she says.
Nanaia Mahuta says Maori farmers have been in the forefront of a shift to more sustainable farming practices.
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