For the first time, New Zealand's farming leaders are promising to help make the country's rivers swimmable for future generations.
The pledge, signed by a group representing 80 percent of the country's farmed land, states: "We are committed to New Zealand's rivers being swimmable for our children and grandchildren."
- Gareth Morgan vows Māori water ownership, farmers to be charged
- Govt aims to get 90pct of rivers swimmable by 2040
- Labour to charge dairy farmers for water use
"We're standing up and saying we haven't always got this right," says Federated Farmers President and West Coast dairy farmer Katie Milne.
"Many of our rivers are not in the condition we all want them to be in. We are doing this because we want our kids and their kids to be able to swim in the same rivers that we did as children. And by swim we mean swim. It's as simple as that," says Ms Milne.
She says they haven't put a timeline on the pledge.
"Each community will need to decide that for themselves. This goal will be difficult to meet and we don't have all the answers today on how it's going to be achieved," says Milne.
"We know that we have work to do. We know it will be challenging for farmers. We know the answers are complex and we don't have them all now."
Many of New Zealand's low-lying rivers are being polluted because of farm runoff.
Earlier this year the Government announced a plan to have 90 percent of our lakes and rivers "swimmable" by 2040.
That would mean a ban on livestock entering waterways starting in 2030, which would require 56,000 kilometres of fencing.
Tuesday's pledge included representatives from the dairy, sheep & beef industry as well as Fonterra.
Newshub.
