Pāmu will reduce by 6000 stock units the livestock run on two Otago farms in the next seven years, replacing them with up to 3000ha of forestry and regenerative vegetation to meet climate change and environmental regulations.
Deer and breeding cows will carry the brunt of the reduction from 78,000 stock units to 72,000 stock units by 2020 on Pāmu’s Thornicroft and Waipori stations.
A spokesperson for Pāmu, formerly Landcorp, said breeding ewe numbers will be increased and there will be greater emphasis on finishing stock.
Nationally, Pāmu has 8500ha of forestry and plans to plant between 1000ha and 2000ha of new forestry a year from 2021 to 2029.
“We will utilise marginal land that is prone to erosion, where we can generate a return, without impacting the profitability of the farm, and we can sequester carbon under the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS),” the company’s sustainability policy states.
The two neighbouring Otago farms, an hour west of Dunedin, could have up to 3000ha of forestry planted, involving 650ha of the 3040ha Thornicroft Station and up to 2400ha of the neighbouring 12,564ha Waipori Station.
The Thornicroft plantings could start this winter and be completed next winter, but consent will be needed for some of the proposed planting at Waipori, which could reduce the planted area.
The Pāmu spokesperson said areas that don’t get consent will be left to regenerate to native vegetation.
Pāmu has no current plans to plant whole farms in forestry or plantings for carbon only.
An ecological assessment of the two Otago farms will identify suitable areas.
Aspects to be considered include the significance of waterway fencing costs if the farms are to continue farming cattle and deer beyond 2024.
They will also consider areas of low livestock productivity, ensuring safe passage for staff and the potential for growing trees.
“It’s important to note that most of the area identified for potential forestry is very low production land,” the spokesperson said.
“The land use change increases profitability to a point where the livestock areas increase their viability and gives the farm business additional revenue to further invest in the infrastructure, the environment and staff development.”
Pāmu has already retired a large area of Waipori deemed uneconomic for farming, part of 16,000ha nationally that Pāmu has under covenants with the Department of Conservation and QEII Trust.
“We don’t envisage any long-term reduction in staffing [on Thornicroft] as we look to a higher percentage of finishing animals on the considerable area of highly productive land across the landholdings,” the spokesperson said.
