A new large-scale dairy farm in the Mackenzie Basin has been given the go-ahead to milk up to 1400 cows over the next 25 years, but opponents say there are too many unknowns in the mix.

Little Ben Ltd, a 470 hectare property near Omarama, has been grazing beef cattle and wintering dairy herds on the land while it sought the consent, which the Environment Court granted after mediation.

 A co-director of the company, Mervyn McCabe, says concerns over effluent and the farm’s environmental impact are misguided.

Mr. McCabe says their stocking rate will start at less than two cows per hectare next season, and won’t go above three. The national average is 2.9, but Mr. McCabe says their dairy herd will be wintered elsewhere, reducing its impact on the land.

Canterbury Aoraki conservation board member John Keoghan says Little Ben’s gradual build-up sounds sensible, but he’s worried it will open the door to even more dairy conversion in the region. Dr. Keoghan says more work needs to be done into the impact of large-scale dairying  in the Upper Waitaki region.