Council support for winter grazing improvements

Media Release

16 February 2022

Council taking to the skies and land to support winter grazing improvements

Environment Southland staff will be out and about in the region identifying potential winter grazing risks this month to help farmers prepare for the upcoming season.

Environment Southland, with support from DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb New Zealand, will take a look at cultivated forage crop paddocks from the air and by land, to identify areas that may pose issues for water quality this winter.

The land sustainability team will then follow up directly with those farmers identified with higher risk paddocks to ensure there is a strategic grazing plan in place, and to offer advice on managing the issues that could arise from these paddocks.

Poor intensive winter grazing practices can cause significant damage to Murihiku Southland’s freshwater quality through sediment and effluent runoff leading to excess nitrogen, phosphorus and bacteria to waterways. It can also affect soil structure and health, and in some cases animal welfare.

Environment Southland chief executive Rob Phillips said he was keen to ensure farmers were supported to be well prepared for winter grazing this season.

“We appreciate the hard work farmers have put in improving their wintering practices over the last few years. There is a continued spotlight on Southland farmers’ wintering practices so they need to be prepared and vigilant through winter to ensure their wintering practices continue to improve.”

Our cultivation flights will focus on identifying winter grazing paddocks that may pose a risk to water quality when animals are grazing, Mr Phillips said.

Staff will also be assessing paddocks from the roadside for potential problems.

As with last year, land sustainability staff will be looking at paddocks to ensure critical source areas have been left uncultivated, buffer zones are in place by waterways, how feed crops are being used to keep vegetation between waterways and animals, and if the paddocks look like they could pose an increased risk of overland flow.

ENDS