The Southland Advisory Group established to look at the national intensive winter grazing regulations has provided its advice to Ministers David Parker and Damien O’Connor this week.

Following a meeting with the Ministers in September, a group was formed and asked to look at the implementation of the intensive winter grazing rules within the new National Environmental Standards for Freshwater.  

The group included several farmers, and staff from Beef + Lamb NZ, DairyNZ, Federated Farmers, Fish and Game and Environment Southland, who have worked together on finding practical solutions to some of the issues raised with implementing the regulations across the country.

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Environment Southland chairman Nicol Horrell said he was pleased the group members had worked so well together and come up with a package of recommendations to make the regulations more practical to implement for farmers, while not diminishing the protection they give to waterways.  

“The group has worked at pace and come up with some very practical suggestions. I am optimistic this report and recommendations will land well with Ministers and officials,” Mr Horrell said.  

Regulations announced in August were focused on getting swift improvement in water quality. Keeping this goal as their key focus, the recommendations put to Ministers this week aim to ensure this happens.

In the report, the group notes that improvements are needed to intensive winter grazing practices – intensive winter grazing, when done poorly, poses risks to waterways.  

Report: “There is low tolerance (in the community) for farmers who are not improving their intensive winter grazing practice as they are seen to be “letting the side down” and bringing the practice into disrepute.”  

In working through the detail, the group looked into the intent of the rules and in a few cases identified practical challenges with the implementation and potential perverse outcomes. 

A number of suggested improvements or alternatives have been made and additional measures have also been suggested. Most importantly, the group agrees that farm plans are the future for managing freshwater. While this important tool is developed further, the group recommends work commence immediately on a step that can be used in the interim – an intensive winter grazing module. This would enable farmers to identify the specific risks on their property, and show alternative good management practices they are implementing to mitigate the impacts on freshwater.

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The group has also recommended a new measure which focuses on managing critical source areas. The pugging and resowing rules would lead to perverse outcomes, however managing these areas would lead to improved environmental health. The recommendation suggests critical source areas are protected within intensively grazed areas (leaving a 5m wide, uncultivated and ungrazed buffer). 

Managing critical source areas is accepted good management practice and embedding this concept into the regulations is seen as the best way forward.

The advisory group will present its recommendations to the national Freshwater Implementation Group and Ministers is seeking advice from officials before determining any next steps.