Friday, November 18, 2011 » 10:16pm
A $7.6 million plan to slash toxic run-off from farms along the central and north Queensland coast has been hailed as a win for both farmers and the Great Barrier Reef.
The state government is to fund more than 30 research and support projects to help farmers from Mackay to Cooktown cut chemical run-off and soil erosion flowing into the ocean and killing coral.
The projects are expected to boost farm profitability and will include research into how soil, fertilisers and pesticides end up in waterways and how that can be managed, Environment Minister Vicky Darling said in a statement.
A new tool that will help graziers calculate the optimum number of cattle to keep per paddock is hoped to reduce soil erosion, while research into exactly how much fertiliser is needed to maintain productivity is expected to help farmers cut toxic run-off.
The government will spend $2 million on extending its research into cane growers' losses of nitrogen fertiliser and pesticides.
'This ... demonstrates this government's commitment towards protecting the Great Barrier Reef, a Queensland icon,' Ms Darling said.
World Wildlife Fund spokesman Nick Heath said the policy announcement was 'a win-win' for the Great Barrier Reef and farm productivity.
Hundreds of reefs had lost up to 50 per cent of their coral, largely because of water pollution from farm chemicals and soil erosion, Mr Heath said.
'Today's announcement of new research funding will help speed the adoption of precision agriculture, helping farmers know just the right amount of stock or chemical to use,' he said.
The cash is part of the government's $50 million reef protection package, which is being rolled out over five years.
Source: http://bigpondnews.com/articles/Environment/2011/11/18/Bid_to_cut_toxic_run-off_a_win_for_reef_686866.html
The state government is to fund more than 30 research and support projects to help farmers from Mackay to Cooktown cut chemical run-off and soil erosion flowing into the ocean and killing coral.
The projects are expected to boost farm profitability and will include research into how soil, fertilisers and pesticides end up in waterways and how that can be managed, Environment Minister Vicky Darling said in a statement.
A new tool that will help graziers calculate the optimum number of cattle to keep per paddock is hoped to reduce soil erosion, while research into exactly how much fertiliser is needed to maintain productivity is expected to help farmers cut toxic run-off.
The government will spend $2 million on extending its research into cane growers' losses of nitrogen fertiliser and pesticides.
'This ... demonstrates this government's commitment towards protecting the Great Barrier Reef, a Queensland icon,' Ms Darling said.
World Wildlife Fund spokesman Nick Heath said the policy announcement was 'a win-win' for the Great Barrier Reef and farm productivity.
Hundreds of reefs had lost up to 50 per cent of their coral, largely because of water pollution from farm chemicals and soil erosion, Mr Heath said.
'Today's announcement of new research funding will help speed the adoption of precision agriculture, helping farmers know just the right amount of stock or chemical to use,' he said.
The cash is part of the government's $50 million reef protection package, which is being rolled out over five years.
Source: http://bigpondnews.com/articles/Environment/2011/11/18/Bid_to_cut_toxic_run-off_a_win_for_reef_686866.html
No comments:
Post a Comment