Dairy production: Threats and challenges to NZ rivers

There are 6.8 million cows in New Zealand. In terms of their ecological footprints this equates to a human population of 90 million.

Mike Joy on dairy production and the destruction of New Zealand’s environment

“Threats and challenges to our Rivers”

Dr. Mike Joy, lecturer in environmental sustainability an teacher of ecology and environmental management at Massey University spoke last night in Upper Hutt. I was unable to make the talk but my partner Pam was able to debrief me. Our conversation is below.

In this interview with BBC's Hard Talk PM John Key was deeply uncomfortable when confronted with the name of Mike Joy and the truth of the effects of dairy production on our waterways and the myth of NZ's "clean, green image"

Key grilled over NZ's clean, green image

Here is a 2013 talk given by Dr.Mike Joy  on the impact of dairy production on the environment

White Gold -- Dairy Production in New Zealand - Mike Joy

A 2011 articke from the New Zealand Herald

Mike Joy: The dying myth of a clean, green Aotearoa

Has anyone noticed that "100 per cent pure New Zealand" has quietly been changed to "100 per cent pure you"?

Having been hung out to dry over their impacts on the environment, the exploiters, including Federated Farmers, have successfully lobbied to lower environmental expectations.

The irony is that overseas consumers' perception of New Zealand as clean and green will soon be our only marketing edge. The rest of the world will catch up and easily beat us on commodity prices, because their land and labour costs are so much cheaper.

We are delusional about how clean and green we are. Last year New Zealand honoured the United Nations Year of Biodiversity with the revelation that we are among the world's worst biodiversity losers....

.....

We made reference in our discussion to Fresh Water for Life, which aims to independently report on the freshwater situation in New Zealand.

“We will provide information on NZ’s water quality and the main threats to good water quality and the life in our freshwater. Our goals are to safeguard and protect our freshwater, so present and future generations can enjoy what we all love.”

Go to the website HERE