| ||||||||
 | ||||||||
|
|
|
Air |
AirManagement of discharges to air is a Regional Council responsibility under the Resource Management Act. Discharges that can occur from agricultural and horticulture activities include dust, smoke from burning, spraydrift from agrichemicals and odour from a range of activities. Most Regional Councils have an Air Plan which provides a framework for how the issues will be managed in that region. Usually most activities can be undertaken subject to compliance with permitted activity standards. However consents may be required for some discharges and in some cases there are prohibited activities, such as the burning of tyres. Rules and requirements for the disposal of agrichemical containers by burning vary between Councils.Off target agrichemical spraydrift is a key air discharge issue as the effects on neighbouring crops and other sensitive areas can be significant. However it is an issue that can generally be adequately managed through the adoption of best practice. Air discharges are often the source of complaints about rural activities, with neighbours objecting to smoke, dust, smell or spray drift. To ensure that potential for complaints are minimised, as well as to ensure that there are no off site effects, best practices for activities that discharge to air should be adopted. The Ministry for the Environment is developing National Environmental Standards for Air Quality. These are largely based on the Ambient Air Quality Guidelines (2002). It is intended to include a number of prohibited activities which could impact on rural industries. Emissions of greenhouse gases from agriculture include nitrous oxide and methane, as well as carbon dioxide from use of fossil fuels in vehicles. The government is currently developing policies to address greenhouse gas emissions as a means to reach the levels established in the Kyoto Protocol, to which NZ is a signatory. Forests in NZ can also be a carbon sink. Developing a greenhouse budget to account for on farm emissions is likely to become more commonplace in the future as the responsibilities and costs for emitting greenhouse gases increases. Risk Areas/IssuesAir - General
Air Quality - Issues
|
| |