Karl Erikson - On the farm

Updated regulations for winter grazing come into effect later this year – and now’s a good time to ensure your practices line-up.

Changes to the National Environmental Standard for Freshwater kick in from 1 November this year, so make sure you are planning your cultivation with these in mind.

The big changes to the regulations include how slope is measured, how pugging is dealt with and removal of the re-sowing dates.

Perhaps the most important change is how critical source areas (CSAs) need to be managed. Remember CSAs are landscape features like gullies or swales where water can move overland into waterbodies.

CSAs now have to be protected. They must not be grazed throughout the winter grazing period, have a vegetated cover within and not be cultivated in annual forage crop.

You can continue to winter graze without a consent if you meet these and other conditions. If you can’t meet the conditions, then a resource consent will be necessary.

If you would like support to meet any of these new regulations, please give one of our land sustainability officers a call.

We’re keen to help.