by frog
Russel broke the news this morning that factory-style dairy farming could be a reality in New Zealand very soon.
Three companies have applied for consents to create 16 new farms in the MacKenzie Basin, which would house almost 18,000 in indoor cubicles 24 hours a day for eight months of the year.
Not only is this horrifying from an animal welfare perspective, it would also, as Russel succinctly pointed out, “be like building a city for 270,000 people in the Mackenzie Basin and having them crap on the ground”. All in some of our most iconic landscape.
Commenters on the Stuff story seem to agree that this is, like, the worst idea ever.
If you also agree, think about making a submission against the consents. Submissions close on the 18th of December. There’ll be a submission guide up on the Green Party website later today.
The revolution cometh!
Published in Environment & Resource Management by frog on Mon, December 7th, 2009
on the trolls and those who are unable to keep on topic
I hate to say this, (the sky must be falling in) but on the face of it I agree with you
I hasten to add I dont know the details but as a dairy farmer what I have heard disturbs me
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Does it cause less damage to the environment?
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I can see the notion of methane-reclamation barns/sheds dotting the landscape where cows are now left outside 24/7, with some work required to get them into the sheds often and long enough to cut into the methane loading.
This however, seems to be a bad idea in a worse place for all the wrong reasons.
BJ
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I am not going to justify it. I would have to see how (IF) they plan to make it sustainable without shipping feed and water in and shipping milk and manure out, in general screwing things up grossly. Could build a dome on the moon and make it “work” but it would take a sh!tload of power to move everything in and out.
The details have to be laid bare. I think you are correct. I am however mindful of that single advantage that they can undoubtedly raise and we’d best understand it well before they do… No?
respectfully
BJ
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There are a few dimensions to this – what part or parts of this disturb you?
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In the absence of water the effluent (if locally disposed of) is maybe going to be making the basin LOOK like the surface of the moon and will turn whatever water does flow through the region into non-viable gook.
Sustainability : The Gozintas have to match the Gozoutas. I don’t see it being done economically AND sustainably. I could manage one or the other but IMHO, both together can only be had in other more hospitable parts of NZ.
We do need details though.
respectfully
BJ
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Number of cows: 17,850
Size of effluent ponds to be built: 414,000,000 litres
Daily effluent discharge: 1,743,000 litres per day
Water use: not specified but logically must be more than effluent discharge
Feed required: not specified, but it will be tonnes per day shipped in
Milk trucked out: not specified but would be in the vicinity of 300,000-400,000 L/day
The cows, the environment, and our global reputation would be considerably worse off if we allow factory dairy farming to get a foothold in NZ. Once we lose our competitive advantage that is our clean, green mythology the entire economy will suffer – is that worth risking so a few farmers can make a bit more money?
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Have you driven through the Maniatoto Valley in Otago? Dry as a bone, tissue-thin soils and endless strings of k-line irrigation for the DAIRY COWS that have taken the place of … merinos for f*cks sake! It’s already happened guys, the McKenzie Country is just the next round, with a newish aspect thrown in. Herd homes aren’t so new, they dot the Southland Plains already. It’s amazing what money and urea can do!
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Will they take to the McKenzie Country to discuss their new, exciting plans?
Rotten indeed.
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Of course we should protect what is left, although even that has just been given permission to take even more water for electricity generation.
If we’re truely worried about animal welfare perhaps we should be questioning why cows are kept outside where temperatures are regularly below minus 10 for days on end. I was there last year and it was minus 17 and hadn’t been even close to zero at any time for the previous three weeks.
Surely if there are cows there, they SHOULD have barns for shelter, but NOT for intensive farming i.e they should be free to come and go as they please.
They are probably intelligent enough to do that, vs sheep, who often won’t shelter behind a row of windbreak trees in a snow blizard – they sometimes stand out in the middle of a paddock and die, when they could have shelter just 40m away.
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Surely there should not be cows there. Surely it is not an appropriate place for a dairy-farming operation.
Maybe in twenty years time though…
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However you’re probably right – it’s not the most appropriate place for dairy farming – at least not from the point of view of it’s natural environment.
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