Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Water rules worry Otago farmers

Updated at 6:34 am on 18 July 2012

Otago dairy farmers are apprehensive about new water quality rules that Otago Regional Council is introducing.

The plan change, called 6A, allows farmers to manage run-off from the land themselves, as long as it does not lower the quality of waterways.

About 40 farmers and rural representatives met at Henley on the Taieri Plains on Tuesday to hear from council and industry people about the changes.

Taieri dairy farmer Colin Scurr says he is worried about unknowingly breaching the rules.

He says there is potential for criminal prosecution.

But a council land advisor, Nicola McGrouther, said if farmers resolved all the obvious rule breaches, they would be well on the way to complying.

There is a further meeting in Clinton, South Otago on Wednesday.

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