"Stubble Fires by not so up to date Farmers" Top 5 Page for this destination Canterbury Local Custom Tip by Kakapo2

In winter we have smog hanging over Christchurch on many days because, a thick brownish cloud. If you stand on the Summit Road on those days - about 30 per winter - you can see the snow-capped mountain range of the Southern Alps and Mount Hutt at the horizon but nothing of Christchurch. This is due to the nocturnal formation of an inversion layer in low-wind conditions, and the emission of particulate matter mainly from home heating with solid fuel, mainly - I call them prehistoric - wood burners. Those will finally be forbidden by 2011.

Farmers do not care about this - and Environment Canterbury (ECan) either. ECan still allow farmers to burn stubble fires as the cheapest way of getting rid of pest insects on their paddocks. They do not mind the air quality which is a big issue in the age of global warming - and about affecting other people's businesses.

Just some time ago a motel owner from Methven complained about this nuisance on TV because tourists do not stay in Methven during one month in summer when they see and smell those huge clouds of smoke in the sky. Apart from that she has to clean the windows and even the fassade of her house all the time, and cannot hang out the washing. And of course, this is a problem not only for her but for a lot of people. And what did ECan say? "It is only for a month", said a spokesman.

He clearly is the wrong man at the wrong place, supporting the farmers who think they can continue to pollute the air and kill rivers and lakes by intensive dairy-farming because they have done it for a hundred years, and it has become a right of use. Egoistic ignorants!