Opposition to Te Anau block not just ‘emotion’

IT seems to me that the report on Environment Southland’s decisions regarding the projected dairy development on the edge of Lake Te Anau (ODT, 5.9.22) is an exemplar of the divisions in society.

Jason Herrick, a representative of Federated Farmers, says the opposition to the dairy block is based on emotion, not reality.

On the contrary, as an initiator of The Guardians of Lakes Manapouri and Te Anau, Sir Alan Mark is upholding the pressing need to maintain the integrity of the land, waters, flora and fauna for the benefit of us all. Not doing so has exacerbated climate change, and inequality.

In 1967, Dr Yola Swindells, an internationally respected nutritionist, said in a lecture at the University of Otago that animal protein was the leastefficient production of protein and that, worldwide, more emphasis would be needed on plantprotein production to feed an increasing population.

It is Jason Herrick, and those thinking to destroy our habitat with intensive dairying, who are naive.

This is not farming to feed the world, this is exploitation of the Earth’s resources for the benefit of only a few financial investors.

The planet suffers, we suffer, and the investors will eventually ‘‘go down with the ship’’.

Janet Wishart

Helensburgh

IN response to sharemilker Jason Herrick’s statement, ‘‘opposition to the dairy block was based on emotion not reality’’ (ODT, 5.9.22).

Mr Herrick, I reply, in reality Scott Farming’s application to build a 15,000sq m wintering barn complex breaches the Southland District Plan by 15 times what is allowed (1000sq m) in the Visual Amenity Resource Overlay area to the east of the Waiau River near Te Anau.

That is one and ahalf times the footprint of the ILT stadium!

Scott Farming is also applying to breach the Rural 1 permitted activities around earthworks. In a 12month period under the District Plan, earthworks are not allowed to exceed the disturbance of more than 1000cu m of land.

With the proposed 15,000sq m building, it is likely that the volume of earthworks will far exceed this. Mr Herrick these are the facts:

It is not the right place for a dairy wintering block of this scale.

This industrial agriculture is not sustainable. Just the reality of the carbon footprint of trucking 1600 cows up to Te Anau from around Southland and back again is farming going in the wrong direction.

It is in Federated Farmers’ best interests to have the right farming in the right areas, rather than putting unsuitable farming on unsuitable land.

Lynley King

Te Anau