Plan factsheets
Excluding stock from waterbodies
Q: Where can I find information about excluding stock from waterbodies?
Q: Why are deer and beef cattle not required to be excluded from waterways if the stocking rate is less than six stock units per hectare?
A: Low stocking rates means fewer adverse effects on water quality. On extensive hill and high-country farms with low stocking rates it is often not practical or cost-effective to exclude deer and beef cattle from waterways.
Q: Why are sheep not required to be excluded from waterways?
A: Sheep do less damage to stream banks and beds than other stock and do not have the same affinity for water. Therefore, they pose less risk to the environment. Consent is required for sheep to access wetlands.
Q: Why do stock need to be supervised and actively driven across waterways?
A: To minimise the time stock spends in the water and to reduce disturbance of the bed of the waterway.
Q: What kind of fencing can I use to exclude my stock? Can it be single wire, temporary fencing?
A: You can use any kind of fencing so long as it is sufficient to exclude stock.
Q: Can I graze my sheep and beef cattle in wetlands?
A: A consent is required under the Southland Water and Land Plan if you want to graze any stock, including sheep or beef cattle in a wetland.
Q: I am a sheep farmer, what do I need to do?
A: Sheep do not need to be excluded from waterbodies, but you may need to have a Farm Environmental Management Plan that identified how you will manage sheep access to water. Talk to one of our consent team for more information on 0800 76 88 45.
Q:If I need to exclude stock, how far do I need to setback my fences from waterbodies?
A: Regulation 8 in the Stock Exclusion regulations require waterbodies over 1m wide to have a 3m setback. For waterbodies less than 1m wide there are no setbacks specified, however there are buffer/setback requirements for cultivation, intensive winter grazing and pasture-based wintering of cattle in the Southland Water and Land Plan. Refer to Rule 25, 20A and 20B for specific information on buffer/setback requirements for these activities. Wider buffer zones should be left where there is a higher likelihood of runoff which could be through a critical source area, spring, swale, depression or steeper slope for example.
Intensive winter grazing
Q: Where can I find intensive winter grazing advice?
Q:If a river borders my property and I have a permanent fence 5m back, am I expected to set up a temporary fence to maintain the 10m buffer during the winter grazing period?
A: Yes. In some cases permanent fences will not align with the buffer requirements, however in order to undertake intensive winter grazing without resource consent you will need to meet the buffer requirements set out in the rule which in this example would involve using temporary fencing.
Q:I have a swale in a paddock I want to use for intensive winter grazing which is a critical source area. Water running through that area must travel through 160m of paddock in pasture and a sediment trap. Am I allowed to intensive winter graze on the swale?
A: No, any area that accumulates runoff from adjacent land and connects or has the potential to connect to a waterbody is a critical source area and is not allowed to be used for intensive winter grazing as a permitted activity. Critical source areas contribute a disproportionately large quantity of contaminants relative to their size to water bodies. Environment Southland still encourages strategies such as sediment traps, wetlands, riparian planting, detainment bunds and denitrifying bioreactors to intercept any contaminants present before they reach waterbodies. A consent application is the process for making case by case considerations, and you could choose to lodge an application demonstrating how the swale could be grazed in a way that avoids risks from the Critical Source Areas and minimises the effects of contaminants on water quality.
Q:I have areas in my winter grazing paddock which have been left in pasture and not been sown into forage crop as they are steeper than 10 degrees. What can I do with these areas? Can I graze these?
A: You are permitted to graze the areas over 10 degrees left in pasture as long as this is not a critical source area or part of a buffer during the winter grazing period. The paddock will need to be carefully managed to ensure there are no discharges to freshwater. All other intensive winter grazing permitted activity criteria should be met.
Q: What does it mean ‘as soon as practicable’ when re-establishing vegetation?
A: If re-sowing is necessary due to a lack of groundcover, several factors will dictate when it is practicable to sow. These include soil and weather conditions, paddock contour, availability of machinery and appropriate seed and/or crop rotation implications.
Re-sowing should occur either when grazing within any given IWG paddock is completed, or when animals are permanently removed after grazing. Where no plant cover exists, good practice suggests a paddock should be sown with an appropriate species or species mixture that integrates into the whole farm system as soon as soil, weather and operational conditions allow.
For more guidance refer to the Ministry for the Environment groundcover guidance.
Q:How do I know if I have a regionally significant wetland or sensitive waterbody on or near my property?
A: Regionally significant wetlands and sensitive waterbodies are listed in Appendix A of the Southland Water and Land Plan. Maps are available on the Environment Southland website or in the online winter grazing and cultivation tool.
Q: What are ‘statutory acknowledgement areas’ and how do I know if I have one on or near my property?
A: ‘Statutory acknowledgement areas’ are known nohoanga (seasonal occupational sites for food gathering) listed in Appendix B, mataitai reserves (freshwater and marine areas where a particular Māori tribe has exclusive fishing rights) and taiapure (coastal fishing areas of significance to Māori). You can check if you have any on your property by using the online winter grazing and cultivation tool.
Feed pads or feed lots
Q. Where can I find more information on the use of feed pads?
Q: How many feed pads am I allowed on my property?
A: There is no limit on the number of feed pads or feedlots per landholding, provided the permitted activity criteria can be met for each one.
Q: Is my self-feed silage stack considered a feed pad?
A: Yes, if cattle or deer are grazing directly and contained in a fenced or enclosed area.
Q: Am I able to use my feed pad year-round?
A: Yes, feed pads are not restricted on the length of time cattle or deer can be enclosed but as the effluent must be collected from the feed pad it is important that this additional effluent has been calculated in your effluent storage consent.
Q: If I put a roof over my calving pad/ stand-off pad/feed pad, will I need a consent?
A: You will not need a consent under the National Environmental Standards for Freshwater as a stockholding area does not include an area used for pastoral purposes like in a winter barn. However, you may still need a consent under the Southland Water and Land Plan.
Q: What is the difference between wintering barns, feed pads, stockholding areas, sacrifice paddock and feed lots?
A:
- A wintering barn has a roof and is therefore not a stockholding area or a feed pad as defined in the NES-F. However, it is considered to be a feed pad/lot as defined in the plan.
- A feed pad without a roof is a stockholding area if it holds cattle.
- A feed pad is not a stockholding area if it holds any animal other than cattle.
- A sacrifice paddock is specifically excluded from being a stockholding area. However, there is a rule for sacrifice paddocks, see Rule 35B in the plan.
- A feed lot is a stockholding area that holds cattle for more than 80 days in any six-month period which are fed exclusively by hand or machine.
Note that there are different permitted criteria and conditions which apply between the proposed plan and the National Environmental Standards for Freshwater.
Q: Is there a minimum period that triggers stockholding area regulations? For example, can I put my cows on the laneway for 1 day without triggering these requirements?
A: No. If you are holding cattle in that location, then it becomes a stockholding area and will trigger the rule in the National Environmental Standards for Freshwater. If they are simply walking along a lane/ race or can feed from a feed lane as they walk to their paddock, then they are not held, and it is not a stockholding area or a feed pad under both the National Environmental Standards for Freshwater and the proposed plan.
Q: Is a sacrifice paddock considered as feed pad?
A: No, a sacrifice paddock is managed separately to a feed pad, under Rule 35B.
Cultivation on sloping ground
Q. Where can I find more information on cultivation?
Q: What if I want to cultivate beyond 800m above sea level?
A: This is a non-complying activity. Even if you meet other permitted activity criteria you will need to apply for a resource consent.
Q: I am cultivating to establish crop for intensive winter grazing or to establish or renew pasture, what do I need to do to be a permitted activity?
A: Depending on the type of cultivation you're doing, and where, the requirements for buffers and other criteria may differ. Check the online Cultivation and Winter Grazing mapping tool on our website.
Q: I use a contractor to do my cultivation work. What if they cultivate in the wrong place?
A: It’s useful to have a detailed cultivation plan which you share with your contractor before cultivation begins to ensure you’re both on the same page. Your cultivation plan should include things like critical source areas to avoid, slope and buffers to waterways, cultivation direction e.g. across slopes rather than up or down, and cultivation type. You could also install a semi-permanent fence or mark out with pegs where to avoid during cultivation.
Pasture-based wintering of cattle
Q. Where can I find advice on pasture-based wintering?
Q: What if my supplementary feed is less than 10,000 kgDM/ha?
A: Your activity is permitted as it doesn't trigger the definition of pasture-based wintering. However, good management practices should still be followed.
Q: How can I demonstrate I don’t exceed 10,000 kg dry matter per hectare?
A: The break-feeding area and the expected supplementary feed will generally have been planned before winter, and the information will form part of your Farm Environmental Management Plan.
If, due to conditions during winter, your supplementary feed is higher than planned and exceeds the dry matter/hectare threshold, you will be in breach of the rules. To minimise environmental impacts, you should comply with the buffer, critical source area, back-fencing, “last-bite” strip and revegetation conditions in Rule 20B(a). And then use the information on the higher feed requirements to plan for subsequent years.
Q: What time of the year does this rule apply?
A: The rule is applicable from 1 May to 30 September inclusive. Outside of this period it is recommended you manage this activity following good management practices.
Q: If I’m managing stock other than cattle in a pasture-based wintering system, do I need to comply with these rules?
A: Rule 20B in the Southland Water and Land Plan applies only to cattle. However, there are still risks to freshwater when undertaking this activity with other stock types so good management practices should be followed. In some cases rule 35B in the Southland Water and Land Plan on sacrifice paddocks may apply, so check this rule to see if this applies to you.
Q: How do I know if I have a regionally significant wetland or sensitive waterbody on or near my property?
A: Regionally significant wetlands and sensitive waterbodies are listed in Appendix A of the Southland Water and Land Plan. Maps are available on the Environment Southland website or in the online winter grazing and cultivation tool.
Q: What are the statutory acknowledgement areas and how do I know if I have one on or near my property?
A: Statutory acknowledgement areas are known nohoanga (seasonal occupational sites for food gathering), mataitai reserves (freshwater and marine areas where a particular Māori tribe has exclusive fishing rights) and taiapure (coastal fishing areas of significance to Māori). Check Appendix B of the plan to find out more about these areas.
Q: What does it mean ‘as soon as practicable’ when re-establishing vegetation?
A: Re-establishing vegetation needs to be planned and implemented as soon as practicable considering factors such as soil and weather conditions, paddock contour, availability of machinery and appropriate seed and/or crop rotation implications. For more refer to the Ministry for the Environment’s groundcover guidance.
Sacrifice paddocks
Q. Where can I find advice on sacrifice paddocks?
Q: What stock type does the sacrifice rule apply to?
The sacrifice paddock rule applies to cattle and deer, but it is still recommended that the good management practices set out in the rule are followed for other stock types too.
Q: How many stock units can I hold in a sacrifice paddock in Southland?
There is no limit to the number of cattle or deer you can hold in a sacrifice paddock within the rule, but it is important to allow sufficient space to enable the stock to exhibit normal behaviour patterns relating to resting, rumination and play, and to minimise aggression within the group. There is some guidance around the animal welfare codes found here: https://www.mpi.govt.nz/animals/animal-welfare/cod...
Q: Why do I need to put the location of my sacrifice paddocks into my Farm Environmental Management Plan?
Sacrifice paddocks can have varying degrees of risk associated with them, depending on where they are located on your farm. To ensure that risk is managed appropriately, the location of sacrifice paddocks must be considered as part of your Farm Environmental Management Plan.
