Into cleaning waterways

Reducing nitrogen

The Government will introduce a cap on synthetic nitrogenfertiliser of 190kg N/ha/year for all pastoral farms.

Dairy farmers will have to report annually to councils the weight of nitrogen applied per hectare. It will also apply stricter limits on nitrogen toxicity attributes, setting national maximum allowable levels for 95 per cent of freshwater species, up from 80 per cent under the previous national policy statement.

A Ministry of Health-led taskforce is assessing whether more research is needed into links between nitrate levels and human health impacts and is due to report later this year.

The Government will not yet progress rules for Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen (DIN) but says that levels will have to be maintained or improved, and increasing oversight of councils’ implementation of requirements. This will be reviewed again next year.

The primary sector was facing challenges in the wake of Covid19, so the Government had included $700m in funding to help with clean-up efforts, but without compromising environmental benefits, Parker said.

The funding would create jobs in riparian and wetland planting, removing sediments and other initiatives to prevent farm runoff entering waterways.

‘‘Our environmental reputation is the thing that underpins our biggest export earners – tourism and agriculture. It’s time for us to invest in cleaning up our water to protect the economic value it brings,’’ Parker said.

Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said the package would help to increase the value of primary exports.

‘‘All farmers appreciate the value of high-quality water and many have done a huge amount of work to improve their practices over the last 20 years or more.’’

An estimated 80 per cent of dairy farmers won’t be affected by the cap on synthetic nitrogen fertiliser, he said.

Climate Change Minister James Shaw said the reforms were the strongest protections a government has put in place for waterways.

‘‘We all rely on clean water as part of our way of life; whether for drinking, for gathering freshwater kai, or for swimming on a well-earned summer break. However, our precious waterways have been in crisis for decades.