Greenpeace: Denmark moves to lower limits on nitrate in drinking water - when will NZ follow suit?

Denmark's Environment Minister is making moves to dramatically lower the legal limit for nitrate in drinking water, after a government-commissioned report recommended reducing the legal limit for nitrate contamination to 6 mg/L of nitrate (1.3 mg/L nitrate-nitrogen).

Greenpeace spokesperson Will Appelbe says New Zealanders deserve the same action.

"There's no secret playbook that the Danes are working from here. They don't know anything that we don't know - they're following the scientific evidence and choosing to prioritise people's health and access to safe drinking water over the economic interests of the agribusiness lobby."

"New Zealand is in the middle of a growing health crisis caused by nitrate contamination from intensive dairying. When will our Government recognise this and take action?"

New Zealand research indicates that elevated levels of nitrate contamination in drinking water could be causing up to 100 cases of bowel cancer every year, and leading to 40 deaths a year.

Communities are already affected

Appelbe says the situation in rural New Zealand is unacceptable.

"The fact of the matter is that many rural communities in New Zealand are unable to drink their water because of unacceptably high levels of nitrate contamination, and we know the cause of that pollution. It's the intensive dairy industry, led by Fonterra."

"Fonterra's oversized dairy herd and overuse of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser is leading to escalating levels of nitrate contamination in drinking water, but today it's become clear that the writing is on the wall for the intensive dairy industry."

"Already, there are many drinking water wells and public town supplies in New Zealand that are above the nitrate limits proposed by the Danish. There are even private wells that are above our own - far too outdated - legal health limit. And it's going to get worse unless this Government puts the health of communities ahead of Fonterra's profits."

Greenpeace is urging the Government to take action by lowering the legal nitrate limit, stopping further dairy expansion, and phasing out the use of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser.

"There are simply too many cows. If Denmark can act on the science, so can we. People's health is on the line."