Greenpeace says it won't let up on pressuring the dairy industry to stop expanding and polluting more rivers.

Dairy NZ has abandoned an appeal against a Greenpeace TV ad linking industrial dairy farms with polluted wayerways.

The original ad from Greenpeace showed kiwi kids splashing about in a clear stream, saying 60 per cent of New Zealand’s monitored rivers are now unfit to swim in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQOm37Szgow

It lays part of the blame with industrial dairying which Greenpeace says is packing more cows into an already polluted countryside.

DairyNZ tried to get the TV ad banned by complaining to the Advertising Standards Authority.

It lost the case last month, then publicly vowed to fight the decision, by appealing to the ASA. Now DairyNZ has changed its mind and backed down.

“We’ve just heard they made a last minute decision to withdraw from the appeal process,” says Greenpeace campaigner Gen Toop.

The deadline for appealing the decision passed last week. Last night the ASA told Greenpeace they just received notification from Dairy NZ that they were not going to proceed.

“Despite their bluster about it, they have effectively conceded that the ad is factually correct, and that Dairy NZ has no grounds for appeal.”

“It’s time DairyNZ put its considerable resources into cleaning up its act and address water quality issues, rather than trying to shoot the messenger, we hope this recent decision signals their willingness to finally do that” says Toop.

“Most people already know the truth. Industrial Dairying is polluting our rivers. We have to do something about it, and now.”

We welcome the overtures from DairyNZ to work with them on this problem but we will continue to pressure them to clean up their act on behalf of all New Zealanders who want a better future.

First step, Toop says is to stop the number of dairy cows in the New Zealand countryside spiralling out of control.

“There are simply too many cows for our waterways to cope with. We want to work with farmers to find innovative ways to reduce stock numbers and save the rivers.”

Latest figures from Statistics NZ show the Dairy herd stands at six and a half million, it’s grown 1.3 million since 2002.

Greenpeace warns the drive towards massive irrigation schemes planned around the country will push the national dairy herd to record numbers.

Irrigation schemes are being seen as the new battlegrounds in the struggle for clean water.

“That’s why Greenpeace is calling on New Zealanders to join the the fight to stop these schemes and save our rivers,” says Toop.

“The Government is spending hundreds of millions of taxpayers money on irrigation. It’s pushing dairy expansion into marginal areas. The end result for our rivers, lakes and aquifers - less water, more pollution.”

Toop says plans to extract water for dairying from the source of the world-famous Pupu Springs in Golden Bay is a prime example of how desperate and extremist the irrigation lobby is getting.

“We want New Zealanders to join the campaign against the expansion of irrigation and industrial dairying. We are looking for people to support an ecological farming future because that is the only thing that will save our springs and rivers”.

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