New rules around intensive winter grazing come into effect today (1st May) and while farmers have made great strides in improving practice, Environment Southland (ES) warns they are required to comply with the new rules, too.

The new amendments to the National Environmental Standards for Freshwater mean farmers who are unable to undertake intensive winter grazing as a permitted activity are required to have either applied for a resource consent or deemed permitted activity.

ES said 28 consent and 4 deemed activity applications had been received as at 28 April, along with 30 permitted activity notifications.

ES integrated catchment management general manager Paul Hulse said if landowners had not applied for a consent or deemed permitted activity by 1 May they should be operating within the permitted activity system.

“You can expect to see our staff out and about assessing winter grazing."

"We will continue to support farmers to comply with the new rules and will monitor areas where we have identified risks."

“We know landowners have undertaken a lot of work and planning to improve intensive winter grazing practices in the region, and we expect to see that continue this season."

"It is really important to understand and comply with the rules.”

Staff will continue to follow up on reports through our pollution response, he said.