Primary production

Primary production includes forestry, horticulture, viticulture and poultry, sheep, meat and dairy farming. Primary production is important to the New Zealand economy.

It is also important to all of us as individuals. Most of us rely on supermarkets for our food and drink and other businesses for paper, timber, furniture and more.

The Waikato region’s topography, soils and climate are well suited for farming. Stats NZ reports there are approximately 1.9 million dairy cows in the Waikato region. The region also has thousands of hectares of maize, fruit and vegetable production and plantation forestry.

Primary production can have impacts on water quality. Often they are cumulative effects and not caused by any one land user or property, but added together, they can have significant impacts.

Primary producers have to follow regulations about the amount of water taken and discharge of wastewater and effluent. Many producers go beyond what is required to minimise their effects on water quality.

Regional councils are able to prosecute producers who breach their resource consents.

Acknowledgement: Image licensed through 123RF Ltd