Canterbury Regional Council says it is pleasing no dairy farms had to be prosecuted for a lack of compliance with environmental standards this year.
Council officers visited more than 1000 dairy farms in Canterbury and found over 70-percent fully complied with the conditions of their dairy effluent consents.
Seven abatement and 13 infringement notices were issued.
The council's director of resource management Kim Drummond said the results are pleasing compared with previous years, when up to four prosecutions were laid.
The council is continuing to work with the industry and farmers to find new approaches to lift on-farm environmental performances, Mr Drummond said.