Land-use change in mid-Canterbury may accelerate in early 2040s

Land-use change in mid-Canterbury may accelerate in early 2040s
Report says 78% of all water-use consents in the district will expire between 2030 and 2040. (Image: Getty)
Rebecca Howard
Expiring water-use consents and aging infrastructure may see farmers shift away from dairy in mid-Canterbury in the early 2040s.About 40% of all dairy milking sheds in the district were built between 2007 and 2015, according to a report based on research led by Ashburton district council’s agriculture portfolio advisor, Richard Fitzgerald.Using the Inland Revenue Department's (IRD) calculation of a 33.3-year economic life for a dairy shed, those 230 sheds will reach the end of their economic life between 2040 and 2048. This meant that...

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