Save Our Southland Waterways

We're sick of seeing the state of our rivers getting worse. Dairy intensification is continuing in Southland. Wetlands are still being destroyed. More cows are being piled onto our Southland Plains. More cows mean more sick rivers.
The central Southland plains are geologically similar to the Canterbury plains - porous glacial outwash gravel. Like Canterbury, it is the wrong place for intensive industrial dairying. Like Canterbury, Too Many Cows are destroying our rivers and threatening our aquifers.
We want our rivers to be swimmable but also liveable for the creatures that depend on them for life, such as trout, galaxids, bullies, mudfish and tuna eels, as well as the mayflies, beetles and others.
In 2012 Environment Southland said they would work to improve the state of our rivers. They expected a 10% improvement by 2020. Since then, the quality of Southland rivers has continued to deteriorate.
We need a stop to more cows - a sinking lid policy on intensification and support for farmers to transition away from intensified dairying to lower impact regenerative farming.
We demand Environment Southland to pay more than lip service to cleaning up our rivers:
• Stronger regulations with enforceable prosecutions. No more stock in our rivers and streams.
• No more draining of wetlands.
• No new dairy conversions or intensification of current farms - we need an enforceable sinking lid policy. Cow numbers need to go down, not up.
• Intensive winter grazing must be phased out (this is where the worst nitrogen leaching and sediment runoff occurs). Replace with fewer cattle numbers and wintering barns.
• Active support for transition away from intensive to regenerative farming

If you care about the health of our rivers and the quality of our water, SaveOurWater- Otago/Southland asks you to please sign this petition.
(you can also find us on facebook)

Today we visited Environment Southland and showed them firsthand whats lurking on our riverbeds https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/102454510/poo-protest-at-environment-southland
http://www.channel39.co.nz/news/frustrations-dumped-environment-southlands-door

Listen to this podcast with Jenny Campbell on Radio Southland to hear why
http://www.accessradio.org/Player.aspx?eid=fb84139b-e3e9-488d-8945-f29a96069ee4