Source: Greenpeace
‘The Nitrate Emergency: it starts here.’ That’s what a freshly-installed Fonterra farm sign said outside Canterbury’s first complete dairy conversion this morning. Greenpeace installed the modified Fonterra sign saying that there can be no new dairy expansion in a nitrate emergency.
Greenpeace spokesperson Will Appelbe says “The dirty dairy industry, led by Fonterra, is responsible for Canterbury’s drinking water crisis. The nitrate emergency starts here – on Fonterra dairy farms just like this one, that contaminate drinking water with cow urine and fertiliser runoff.
Greenpeace’s sign was installed outside a controversial Wongan Hills dairy conversion in the Kaituna Valley, which the organisation believes is the first operational conversion in Canterbury this year.
“There can be no more dairy expansion in a nitrate emergency,” says Appelbe. “There are simply too many cows on the Canterbury plains and we can’t afford to add any more. New Zealand needs to reduce the dairy herd size, not grow it.
“Runoff from this dairy conversion will end up downstream in the Kaituna River, and then flowing into Te Waihora – already one of the most polluted lakes in Aotearoa.”
Studies show that regions of intensive dairying in Aotearoa have high rates of nitrate contamination – which is linked to several health risks. A prominent Danish study indicated that long-term exposure to levels of nitrate as low as 1 mg/L may be linked to an increased risk of bowel cancer, while other studies have linked levels of nitrate at 5 mg/L or higher to an increased risk of pre-term birth.
A recent groundwater study by GNS Science indicates that more than 100,000 people in New Zealand may be exposed to nitrate at 5 mg/L or higher – predominantly in rural areas like Canterbury.
“Everyone has the right to safe healthy drinking water but right now, many families in rural New Zealand can’t drink the water from their kitchen tap without fear of getting sick – particularly in Canterbury,” says Appelbe.
Greenpeace is calling on Cantabrians to vote for fresh water in the upcoming local elections. Appelbe says aspiring councillors have been put on notice.
“Environment Canterbury has declared a nitrate emergency, but there is so much more to do. Incoming ECan councillors must be prepared to put their money where their mouth is. It’s time to put an end to dairy expansion and phase out the use of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser – because safe, healthy drinking water is a fundamental human right.
“Fonterra CEO Miles Hurrell held a press conference about the extortionate price of butter. When will he front up to the people of Canterbury for causing the nitrate emergency?”
- Environment Canterbury issued the Wongan Hill’s farm with effluent discharge consents in January, which enabled the conversion to intensive dairying. The farm can milk up to 800 cows a day, with 400 cows wintering in a composting feed barn.
- The intensive dairy farm is located next to the Kaituna River which flows into Te Waihora.
- Kaituna River has been identified as a site of cultural and ecological significance. It provides important habitat for indigenous birds and freshwater fish. It supports two bird species that are nationally Threatened (Australasian crested grebe and Pied cormorant), and one that is nationally At Risk (Black cormorant). It is distinctive as one of only two lowland rivers in New Zealand where Australasian crested grebe are known to breed.
- Te Waihora is a living shallow, brackish coastal lake-lagoon that is nationally and internationally significant for its cultural and ecological values. It is also one of New Zealand’s most polluted lakes.
