Farmers have not waited for today's Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment report to take action to reduce their impact on water ways, says Bay of Plenty Federated Farmers President Rick Powdrell.

'For some time now farmers have been working closely with regional councils to reduce the impacts of farming and that is on-going,” says Rick who is in Wellington for today's release of the PCE report.

Bay of Plenty Federated Farmers President Rick Powdrell says Federated Farmers are looking at the solutions not the problems to reducing farming impact on water ways.

The findings of the report entitled Water quality in New Zealand: Land use and nutrient pollution have prompted a strong response from Fish & Game NZ chief executive Bryce Johnson who says it shows unlimited dairy growth over the past two decades has exacted too great a toll on New Zealand and its waterways and that this is set to continue for years to come.

'This report vindicates Fish & Game's strong stance through its ‘Dirty Dairying' campaign against the industry and the urgent need to clean up its act.

'It confirms our experience of the past and our concerns for the future – that even with good management practice, including mitigation of nutrient loss from farmland and a conservative analysis from reputable scientists, further declines in water quality from dairy intensification will continue if dairy expansion is not limited.”

However, Rick says Fish & Game is concentrating on the problem, not the solutions.

'The approach Federated Farmers is taking is to find solutions. That is the way forward. If you look back over human history, it is by finding solution that we have got to where we are today.”

Severely limiting farming is not the answer, says Rick.

'We welcome the report. Farmers have already been working closely with regional councils for a long time to address the issues. Solutions won't happen overnight but will come through good farming practices, science and technology.”

Ricks says there are already good examples in the region of farmers working together and with councils to improve water quality, including the programme at Rerewhakaaitu and the successes achieved so far in improving the quality of Lake Rotorua waters.

Federated Farmers is expected to make a formal statement on the report later today.

In her report, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Dr Jan Wright says New Zealand is undergoing huge changes to land use and decision makers need to be aware of the consequences for the future.

'The report is focused on the two nutrient pollutants – nitrogen and phosphorus. On land they are valuable nutrients, helping plants to grow. But when there is too much of them in water, they become pollutants, and can lead to excessive growth of weeds, slime and algae.

'Over recent years, hundreds of thousands of hectares used for sheep and beef farming have been converted to dairy farming on the one hand, and forestry on the other.

'Conversion to dairying increases nutrient loads on water; conversion to forestry does the opposite.

Dr Wright is applauding the effort that is being put into environmental mitigation on dairy farms, but admits unfortunately it is particularly difficult to control nitrogen.

'Nitrogen – in the form of nitrate – is so soluble that I think of it as the ‘elusive' pollutant.

'I am pleased that fresh water policy is very much on the Government's agenda with the recent release of a discussion paper on setting ‘bottom lines' for water quality. I hope that this report will better inform both the general public and those who make decisions on their behalf.”

Bryce Johnson says the PCE report serves as a stark warning that the nation is at a crossroads.

'We can either continue with the Government's and primary production sector's agenda of doubling agricultural output by 2025 – completely wrecking the environment, our waterways, our estuaries and beaches, our tourism sector, our international brand, and the kiwi way of life in the process – or we can look at smarter ways to grow the economy.

'Subsidising ‘Think Big' irrigation dams to ramp up production of low value commodities whilst wrecking the environment for the rest of the citizens is no longer acceptable to a growing number of New Zealanders,” says Bryce.