Ewen-Street Ian: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Ewen-Street Ian: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:624;Page:19687] 
1. IAN EWEN-STREET (Green) 
 to the  
Minister of Agriculture 
: Does he agree with the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment that there is little evidence that existing efforts to address environmental effects of farming are “sufficiently profound or widespread enough to maintain and enhance New Zealand’s natural capital.”; if not why not? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR (Acting Minister of Agriculture) 
: 
 The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment’s report has raised many concerns about land treatment. Those concerns are worthy of being addressed. This Government was aware of some of the issues prior to the report. That is why we set up the Sustainable Farming Fund and provided funding of $9 million per year for projects to improve farming practices. 
Ian Ewen-Street 
: Is the Minister concerned about recent moves to reticulate vastly more water and electricity in order to service increased dairying in dry areas such as Canterbury when those areas are manifestly unsuited to that type of agriculture or has some miracle occurred to enable dairying and potato growing to be now sustainable on those poor stony and shallow soils? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: Unfortunately I am not an expert in this area but I can say to that member that in-stream values and such issues are protected through the regional planning process and the Resource Management Act. We are very aware of the growing pressure particularly from dairying. That is why a large number of projects funded through the Sustainable Farming Fund are investigating better ways of managing the environmental effects of farming. 
Hon David Carter 
: Is the Minister aware of an OECD report of 2001 that rated New Zealand as the most proficient user of nitrogen fertilisers amongst all OECD countries—a fact that seems to have been ignored by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: This Government acknowledges that farmers in New Zealand are very environmentally aware. We are some of the most efficient in the world and we do take environmental issues as a concern in all practices. The report done by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment will form background material for the 2006 OECD report on environmental performance in this country. I am sure that once again it will be shown that we are making huge improvements in this area. 
Clayton Cosgrove 
: What is the Government doing to address the concerns raised in the report of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: This Government as I have said is carrying out a number of initiatives to ensure that the recommendations made by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment are being carried out. We have undertaken a number of initiatives prior to the report. We will continue with those and continue to fund the Sustainable Farming Fund. 
Ian Ewen-Street 
: Is the Minister concerned that 90 percent of our surface water is unsuitable even for swimming and that 10 percent of our groundwater is heavily contaminated with nitrates; if so when will the Government take real measures to improve the quality of our freshwater resources? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: I do not accept the claims made by that member. There are nitrates in most water around this country at very very low levels. There is concern about their increasing levels. The clean streams accord negotiated between local government central government and the dairy industry is a very good initiative in that direction. I would like to applaud the industry for its initiatives. I hope that the Green members will all attend the Ballance Farm Environmental Awards being held up and down this country which acknowledge and applaud the new practices undertaken by many thousands of farmers in this country. 
Tariana Turia 
: Will the Minister agree to the establishment of a forum for strategic dialogue and the development of a “team New Zealand” vision for farming and food in the interests of natural capital economic capital social and cultural capital and human capital; if so what steps will he take to support that initiative? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: We have set up a Food and Beverage Taskforce. I attended its second meeting last week. It is taking a comprehensive look at the production manufacturing and marketing side of all food production in this country. It will look at the issues that that member has raised. 
Ian Ewen-Street 
: Does the Minister agree with the statement of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment this morning at the Primary Production Committee that New Zealand has “dropped the ball” even on attempts to measure the sustainability of agriculture; if so what has the Government done in the 6 months since the publication of the  
Growing for Good 
 report to develop indicators that are relevant to the environmental impacts of agriculture? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: We have received and welcomed the report from the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment. It does not mean that we are not in a position to assess environmental guidelines in this country. He has assisted us. I can start to read out the 101 projects being funded by the Sustainable Farming Fund if this House wishes. Otherwise I am happy to table that report for the member to pick up. 
Sue Kedgley 
: Is the Government considering introducing a scheme similar to the one that was introduced in the United Kingdom recently in which farmers can earn money for protecting and enhancing their local environment by for example protecting freshwater rivers from pesticide fertiliser and nitrogen runoff in order to encourage wildlife and taking other measures that cut pollution and increase all forms of wildlife on farms; if not why not? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: I understand that we fund the Forest Heritage Fund. The Queen Elizabeth the Second National Trust is assisted as well to protect many of the values in natural areas on farms. We will continue to do so and we will take the advice of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment. 
Sue Kedgley 
: Is the Minister aware that locally produced food is more sustainable than food that has been flown or shipped from around the world; if so is he concerned that New Zealand one of the great food-producing nations of the world imports more food than almost any other OECD country—including 24358 tonnes of meat last year—if so what measures is the Government taking to reduce our dependence on imported food and to encourage local production? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: As a country that depends upon its ability to export to many countries around the world the only fair approach we can take in trade issues is to allow those countries where they can do so efficiently to export into our country. We will receive those goods. It will be up to consumers ultimately as to whether they buy them. 
Ian Ewen-Street 
: Does the Government have any plans to calculate the costs of the negative environmental impacts of agriculture as it has done for transport given that those costs have been estimated at $4 billion per year in the UK; if not why not? 
Hon DAMIEN O'CONNOR 
: I am not aware of any initiatives to calculate that cost. I do know that this country and this economy depend upon the billions of dollars earned through sound environmentally sustainable agricultural production in New Zealand. I seek leave to table the list of 101 projects funded by the Sustainable Farming Fund. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.