NZ Greens Dissatisfied with Extreme Delay in Winter Grazing Rules

New Zealand Greens share dissatisfaction with extreme delay in implementing winter grazing rules by the Government. Eugenie Sage, spokeperson of the Green Party Environment, mentions the Government’s decision to cave into agribusiness. She said it would be poor for rivers and animal health to postpone enforcement of crucial rules on intense grazing. Grazing is “eating small amounts of food throughout the day or when animals eat grass in a pasture”.

Sage says that grazing “runs the risk of another winter where heavy pasture causes avoidable water runoff, compressed soils, and elevated stock emissions.” Along with this pollution, cows, where they cannot rest safely, would suffer in extreme environments, closely and tightly.

“We must move to more sustainable farming practices that ensure our agricultural industry is productive, sustainable, and nourishing the land it so heavily relies on”.

Eugenie Sage, Green MP

Moreover, she mentions how governments have allowed farms to operate like factories, giving priority to quantity rather than quality for decades. Consequently, she calls these farms out for poisoning water, hurting the land and animals, and warming the planet.

Furthermore, Sage says “the Government’s reliance on a voluntary approach by farmers, rather than enforcing rules to control harmful intensive winter grazing, is a ‘hope and pray’ approach to healthy rivers.” There are many farmers who are at the forefront of improving farm practice and who recognize the realities of a changing climate and polluted rivers”, she mentions. In addition, she wants the government to acknowledge that intensive storage and pasture must stop. Instead of enabling this to happen, she mentions how people should support farmers who wish to mitigate emissions and keep animals safe.

New Zealand Greens are strongly expressing their dissatisfaction in the extreme delay in winter grazing rules because they want better sustainable farming practices. “We must move to more sustainable farming practices that ensure our agricultural industry is productive, sustainable, and nourishing the land it so heavily relies on”, says Sage. Starting with major steps will prevent for this outcome to happen again.

source: https://www.greens.org.nz/greens_dismayed_at_delay_in_winter_grazing_regulations

Shabrina Rahman

Shabrina Rahman is a second year student at Bishop's University where she studies International Studies with a double minor in German and Sports Studies. She is looking forward to sharing positive news about environmental issues and Green Parties around the world. She believes that it is important for people to gain knowledge about this subject because we live in a society in which environmental protection is not as strong as it should be.

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