7. Question No. 7—EnvironmentHon EUGENIE SAGE (Green) to the Minister for the EnvironmentQuestion No. 7—Environment7. Hon EUGENIE SAGE (Green) to the Minister for the Environment: Will the Government's plan to clean up Aotearoa's rivers and lakes within a generation include setting a dissolved inorganic nitrogen limit of 1 milligram per litre or lower; if not why not?Hon DAVID PARKER (Minister for the Environment): Last year the Government agreed to reconsider the possibility of a [dissolved inorganic nitrogen] bottom line of 1 mg/l (…likely with exceptions" and in doing so revisit the environmental and economic implications. When making a recommendation on a dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) bottom line to Cabinet I will be considering the expected effect of current policy requirements the marginal environmental benefit of a DIN national bottom line the marginal economic impact of such a DIN national bottom line and whether the science behind a national bottom line of 1 milligram per litre of DIN has become clearer since May last year when we last considered the question. I would also note as I have done previously that the periphyton attribute carried over to the current National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management effectively provides for a DIN level below 1 for gravel-bottom rivers. The outstanding issue is muddy-bottom rivers and I don't want a DIN of 1 to effectively become a target for gravel-bottom rivers.Hon Eugenie Sage: What is his view on recent research by Dr Adam Canning Professor Russel Death and Dr Mike Joy which suggests that to support macroinvertebrate diversity in rivers "suitable nutrient criteria would set median dissolved inorganic nitrogen concentrations at ~0.6 mg/l"?Hon DAVID PARKER: Those are the sorts of issues that I'm taking advice on but I would note that there's already a lot in the National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management relating to excessive nitrogen contamination including requirements that council plans prevent further decline of the water quality or ecosystem health direct management of nitrogen concentrations in rivers to 2.4 milligram per litre or less of nitrate setting specific targets for dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphorous in rivers to ensure that bottom lines are met and to achieve health in the macroinvertebrate index.Hon Eugenie Sage: For what reasons if any is he considering not setting a dissolved inorganic nitrogen limit when he has acknowledged that the regulation of nitrogen in muddy-bottom rivers is an outstanding issue and his own Ministry for the Environment recommended a DIN limit of 1 milligram per litre last year?Hon DAVID PARKER: The balance of reasons would be as described in the answer to the primary question.Hon Eugenie Sage: What does he have to say to the residents of Dunsandel where recent testing found that water in four local bores has nitrate nitrogen levels above the maximum acceptable value of 11.3 milligrams per litre and 75 percent of samples were above the level that a Danish study has linked to potential risk of bowel cancer?Hon DAVID PARKER: I would say that the matters relating to human health are for the Ministry of Health and the responsible Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall.Hon Eugenie Sage: Has he received advice about the impact on farmers growers and fertiliser companies of setting a DIN limit of 1 milligram per litre; if so what did the advice say?Hon DAVID PARKER: I received advice on that last year before we took our decisions in respect of the National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management. Teanau Tuiono: Does he agree that there should be greater Government funding available for farmers to transition their farms to regenerative and organic practices which use less synthetic nitrogen fertiliser and actively restore degraded land and water?Hon DAVID PARKER: I agree that some farmers have been applying excessive levels of synthetic nitrogen. It's one of the reasons why the Government regulated a limit of 190 kilograms per hectare per annum compared with the practice in some areas of over 300 kilograms per hectare. I also agree that it is appropriate that the Ministry for Primary Industries continues to support research into regenerative agriculture."