Finally

Dairy farmers are our worst polluters, poisoning our rivers with shit and fertiliser runoff and warming our planet with the gases produced by their animals. So its good to see the Manawatu-Whanganui Regional Council finally cracking down on them with its new One Plan. The plan requires nutrient budgeting, fertiliser controls, and the fencing of waterways for all dairy farms in polluted zones, and for all new farms. This isn't enough - there's a large pool of existing farms which will not be covered and so free to pollute - but its a start. And hopefully the regulations will be widened and made to apply to all farms.