Government invests $800,000 in King Country freshwater project

The Government invested $844,000 on Friday to improve freshwater quality and farming practice in King Country.

The money will go to a project involving more than 300 sheep, beef and dairy farmers in the region.

It follows the announcement of new regulations on Thursday aimed at improving the country's rivers and lakes by stopping farm run-off entering waterways. 

In order to help the primary sector implement the new rules, the Government earmarked $700 million, which Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor would also create jobs in riparian and wetland planting, removing sediments and other initiatives. 

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The investment announced on Friday would go to King Country River Care, O'Connor said and would focus on increasing the number of farm environment plans, sub-catchment action plans, and on-farm field days.

"King Country River Care is a great example of the types of great work happening all across the country to improve our waterways.  Our farmers understand that putting the hard yards in now will protect our waterways for many generations to come," O'Connor said.

The new regulations announced on Thursday came after a consultation period last year that received more than 17,500 submissions.

Although farmers, for the most part, reacted favourably to the regulations, there are concerns by others that local bodies might struggle to put the new rules into practice.