Thousands of farmers will need resource consent to graze winter crops next year because the government is yet to finalise criteria for Freshwater Farm Plans, an alternative to the consenting process.
Farming leaders are asking the government to delay by a year new winter grazing rules, which were due to apply from November 1, until these new Freshwater Farm Plans are finalised.
Current rules require farmers who winter livestock on forage crops and who do not meet permitted activity criteria to either gain a certified Freshwater Farm Plan, or apply for a resource consent.
Because the government has failed to finalise Freshwater Farm Plans in time for this sowing season, farmers will have to follow the expensive consenting process.
Environment Southland has previously said it will have to process thousands of consent applications, and Waikato Regional Council estimates more than 1000 farmers in its region are likely to need a consent, inundating staff.
DairyNZ, Beef + Lamb NZ and Federated Farmers have written to Environment Minister David Parker calling for a delay so that a practical interim solution can be found.
“Regional councils have reported winter grazing practices have lifted significantly in recent years, which proves that farmers are committed to improving their winter grazing practices,” BLNZ chief executive Sam McIvor said.
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A spokesperson for the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) said intensive winter grazing regulations will come into effect as planned from November 1, and if farmers cannot meet permitted activity standards they should apply for a resource consent from their regional council,” the spokesperson said.
“The intensive winter grazing regulations were amended in April 2022 to make them more practical for farmers and to provide clarity for farmers on what they need to do to reach the permitted activity standards.”
McIvor said having thousands of farmers require resource consent will impose a significant cost on the farming community and a burden on regional councils to process these applications.
“There is significant risk that regional councils are simply unable to process resource consents in time, especially as farmers need to plan for next season’s forage crops now. We’re calling for a pragmatic solution,” said McIvor.
One interim solution is for farmers to use the winter grazing module developed as part of existing industry farm environment plans.
“We know these modules offer a robust template and process to manage risks,” he said.
Farming groups are also asking the government to reconsider the 10-degree slope rule, which is one of the triggers for needing a consent.
“Ideally, we would like this slope rule increased to 15 degrees or exemptions applied if the steep paddock being winter grazed does not feed into a waterway.”
The MfE spokesperson said Freshwater Farm Plans are expected to start coming into effect from 2023 as planned, and in stages of three or four regions at a time.
