Farmer's response to River Patrols

FARMERS LIKELY TO FEEL THE HEAT FROM RIVER PATROLS OVER THE FENCE - JON MORGAN 

OPINION: Farmers beware. Coming to a river near you: a nosy self-appointed busybody with a camera. No doubt this is how many farmers will view a new river patrol group. It was formed at the weekend to urge people to adopt a river and patrol it for evidence of environmental vandalism. Farmers will shudder at the thought of such scrutiny, most likely from townies liable to misinterpret normal farming practice. But I see it as an unmissable opportunity to welcome such people, to explain farming to them and show them how you care for your animals and the environment. That's if you're doing nothing wrong. Of course, what is wrong and what is not is determined by the law. And the legal system does not always keep up with the times. For instance, in many parts of the country it is not illegal to graze cows beside a river, but I think the overwhelming majority would agree it is wrong. But still some farmers do it, because they can. The riverside grass is lush and nutrient-rich. And there's fresh water close at hand. However, it is illegal to cause pollution. The cows erode the banks, excrete in the river and scare away fish life. As far as I can discover no-one has been prosecuted for this. So you can sense the frustration behind the formation of the river patrols. One man who is already in action is Millan Ruka, the kaitiaki of the rivers in his part of Northland. He has amassed an impressive array of evidence of transgressions in his canoe patrols. He is meticulous, filming what he finds with a camera that has GPS fitted so the right farm is identified. He sends the film to his regional council and to Fonterra, spelling out what regulations he feels have been breached and asking for an abatement notice and an order to fence the river. His progress hasn't been dramatic but he has won some promises – from his local council to fence land it has leased to farmers and from Fonterra to investigate his film evidence. He has to rely on these promises because Northland has no rules requiring the fencing of streams and the Clean Streams Accord is voluntary. Further south in coastal Wairarapa, Grant Muir has been having the same battles. He leapt to fame recently in his son James' documentary, River Dog, showing him and his dogs chasing cattle out of the Pahaoa River. He first tried gathering photographic evidence but made no progress in getting the regional council to act. All he did was antagonise the locals. However he supports the new group's resolve to try non-confrontational methods. This makes sense. It is better to try to work with local farmers rather than against them. Show them the evidence and leave it to them to put pressure on their errant neighbour. Of course, if they are slow to act, if the farmer ignores all warnings, if prosecutions are not laid, then stronger action, such as naming and shaming, may be needed. I attended the meeting to form the patrol group and it was clear the non-confrontational way was preferred. There was also a strong feeling that most farmers acted responsibly and it is intended to show evidence of that on the website they will set up. And there was an acceptance that not all pollution was created in the country, that miscreants in the towns should also be reported. I don't think good dairy farmers have anything to fear from this. Fonterra will require all accord streams to be fenced next year anyway. Sheep and beef farmers could be in for a shock, though. The patrol group wants to include them. MAYBE it's time the hill country farmers faced up to it. Their streams and rivers are home to native fish that are struggling against the sediment and nutrients coming off the hills and flowing on downstream. If they don't act to stop this they may find they face strict controls from central and local government armed with the evidence of their carelessness. And this evidence could easily be based on false assumptions. I'll give you a dairying example. I was amazed recently to see a neighbour grazing his cows beside the stream across from my house. When I asked him, nicely, about it he told me it was because a cow had got through a fence and become stuck in the stream. All his efforts to push and pull it out were in vain and he resorted to putting the cows on the bank beside it to entice it out. It worked and the cows were quickly removed. However, in that time, I witnessed several cars stopping and taking photos. - © FAIRFAX NZ NEWS