Pollution: Farmers Pull Out Of Clean River Accord
August 23rd, 2010
Federated Farmers is risking public backlash over its attitude towards environmental protection by opting not to sign a previously agreed commitment to clean up the Manawatu River, claiming not all parties agree the river is in a poor state. The accord was signed by 16 groups, including DB Breweries, Fonterra and Palmerston North City Council, at a public ceremony on the banks of the river in Palmerston North last week.
However, Fed Farmers Manawatu/Rangitikei president Gordon McKellar is defending its change of heart saying it never indicated it would sign the accord and its decision in part reflects ongoing concerns about the local regional council’s One Plan. “It would have been a bit hopeless, us signing the accord, if [One Plan] was going to send farmers broke anyway.” McKellar adds there has not been enough time for either the two affected provinces or the national board to ratify the document.
The farmer group is also upset at some of the wording in the accord. Fed Farmers Tararua president John Barrow says his members take issue with a paragraph in the accord which reads “we acknowledge the community has concerns and has identified the river is in a poor state.” Barrow says the statement is not factual … “It’s a very emotionally charged paragraph and we need to get rid of all the emotional claptrap if we’re going to do this process right.”
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