Environment subsidy not talked about
New Zealand’s clean, green image could be labelled a myth if farmers can’t address the ‘‘elephant in the room’’ of environmental subsidy, a Canterbury organic dairy farmer says.
ASHBURTON’S Bryan Clearwater has spent the past 17 years doing his part to ensure the agricultural environment thrives, in an organic way, all the while ensuring pollution isn’t destroying the countryside.
Despite being a dairy farmer, he was part of a recent Greenpeace protest at ECan offices in Christchurch.
‘‘[New Zealand] has this clean image, you could say that [the image] is a myth and we need to act on that foundation and lend some authenticity to the claim, and organic farmers are delivering that,’’ he said this week.
He wants more conversation on the benefits of organic farming, which not only include delivering a healthier product, but a healthier environment.
Mr Clearwater said there was a massive elephant in the room that needed to be addressed when it came to farming, and that was the environmental subsidy.
‘‘There’s an imperative that we maximise every opportunity, and the environmental subsidy is never talked about, it’s the collateral damage and the elephant in the room that noone wants to talk about,’’ he said.
‘‘The reality is that we are free to pollute our environment to maximise our production at the expense of the environment, the expense of clean water, of ecological integrity and noone has the guts to admit that is happening.’’
Mr Clearwater is ready to get that conversation started on how farmers can work and produce their product in an environmentally friendly way, without an environmental subsidy, at an upcoming field day at his 200ha property.
Cow waste, soil runoff and greenhouse gas emissions all contribute to the polluted environment, but Mr Clearwater said there were ways to combat this, but it was hard work.
‘‘It’s what we put into the soils, and it’s also how we manage those soils and avoid compaction to keep the soil aerated so all that bacteria, all that fungi, the biology can function,’’ he said.
‘‘We can continue to deliver grassfed, highquality food, infinitely superior to anything generated in a laboratory.
‘‘Farmers can deliver all the ecological services we need in terms of carbon sequestration out of the atmosphere to mitigate climate change.’’
Mr Clearwater said that deciding to farm organically meant he had to drastically change his mindset, and get away from what was ‘‘culturally entrenched’’ in him.
‘‘The biggest change was my mindset, and how I was going to fully feed these cows and
❛ It’s an opportunity to speak with my neighbours on how we manage soils, how we mismanage them . . .
manage these soils, and these mixed pasture species in a different way,’’ he said.
‘‘[Organic farming] wasn’t an overnight decision; you go to the organic certifiers and get a management plan, think about soil fertility, animal health, weed control, and your financial ability to sustain what you have to do.
‘‘We thought if we don’t do it now, we never will. It’s a decision we made with certainly no regrets.’’
There are 25 Canterbury farmers who are members of the Organic Dairy and Pastoral Group, who have made the choice to farm organically.
As to why a majority of farmers haven’t made the switch to organic, Mr Clearwater said each farm was different.
‘‘We all have different strengths and weaknesses as farmers, we have different skill sets and we have different levels of debt, and we were ready to not maximise our profits shortterm, and that’s a bit difficult to convey to a bank for any farmer.’’
Part of getting Mr
Clearwater’s message out was using his voice at a Greenpeace protest at the offices of Environment Canterbury in Christchurch earlier this month.
More than 100 protesters sat in the lobby of ECan, making their voices heard on the issue of cleaning up the waterways.
‘‘I felt [speaking at the protest] was an opportunity for any farmers to engage in conversation with our greatest critic,’’ Mr Clearwater said.
‘‘And at the same time, I wanted to advertise organic farming as having a great deal to contribute to this issue.’’
A 2017 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report found agriculture accounts for 49% of NZ’s greenhouse gas emissions. The report suggests either incorporating emissions from agriculture into the ETS, or having alternative measures to counter the pressures of farming.
Growth in intensive dairy production has increased the level of nitrogen in soil, surface water and groundwater. The nitrogen balance increased more than in any other OECD country from 2000 to 2010.
A Dairy NZ spokeswoman says organic farming methods are among topics discussed regularly with farmers, but insists ‘‘the organic style of dairy farming does not necessarily lower the environmental footprint, due to the complex nature of farming’’.
She says dairy farmers have been working for more than 10 years to protect the waterways that run through their land and it must be considered that all land use, including urban, has contributed to the decline in water quality.
‘‘Over 97% of dairy waterways are fenced, and extensive riparian planting continues, some of which has been in place for over 20 years. Farmers have also installed efficient effluent management systems, utilising aged effluent as natural fertiliser on their land,’’ she said.
Mr Clearwater will be holding a field day for fellow farmers next month, focusing on life without the environmental subsidy.
‘‘It’s an opportunity to speak with my neighbours on how we manage soils, how we mismanage them . . . and for the bank to see how our soil management contributes to financial management of this farm,’’ Mr Clearwater said.
While Mr Clearwater is simply suggesting that farmers consider organic farming, he’s also hoping all areas of the farming industry can come on board and support his farming choice, and even has the door open to the major fertiliser companies.
‘‘Why can’t [big fertiliser companies] market the type of fertilisers we use? They see us a threat, rather than an opportunity, sadly,’’ he said.
‘‘We are unstoppable. Their welfare is at risk, but should we put the welfare of the country before their welfare.’’ — NZN