Intensive winter grazing 2025

Well-planned winter grazing of stock helps reduce impacts on waterways and animal health. Farmers in Southland have made great progress with winter grazing actions and we want that to continue. Rules from the Southland Water and Land Plan

You may need consent for the 2025 season if your intensive winter grazing includes the following:

You should be able to carry out winter grazing as a permitted activity for the 2025 season if it includes:

Critical source areas are identified in your prepared Farm Environmental Management Plan. You must ensure livestock are kept out and no cultivation into forage crops occurs in these zones to protect water quality and soil health.
Replant the land used for winter grazing as soon as possible after livestock have grazed the forage crop, promoting soil regeneration.
The Farm Environmental Management Plan has been prepared and includes a winter grazing plan that implements downslope grazing or leaves a 20-metre ‘last-bite’ strip; uses back fencing to prevent stock from re-entering grazed areas; and provides transportable water troughs to minimise soil disturbance.
No intensive winter grazing is carried out above 800 metres above sea level.

Note: Buffers for cultivation of crop intended for intensive winter grazing are double the size of those required for intensive winter grazing. You can find out more about cultivation here.

Check out this factsheet on intensive winter grazing in Southland.

For more helpful wintering resources and winter grazing information, videos and articles, visit the DairyNZ website.

Do I need to have used the same paddock for IWG previously?

You need to have used land on the farm for intensive winter grazing from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2019. It does not have to be the same paddock. You must not have increased the size of the area used for intensive winter grazing in any one winter between 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2019.

If you are unsure about the rules, please check with us.

The rules for winter grazing are changing for the 2025 season. The proposed Southland Water and Land Plan has been adopted by Environment Southland councillors. While central government has indicated plans to repeal national winter grazing rules, rules within the proposed Southland Water and Land Plan may still apply to you.

We encourage you to look at your grazing activities and the criteria you'd need to meet if you were to continue without a resource consent.

Now is a great time to contact our consents or land sustainability team to discuss your grazing plans - before starting on any consent application. Give us a call on 0800 76 88 45 or email esconsents@es.govt.nz.

Important considerations

Do I need to have used the same paddock for IWGpreviously?

You need to have used land on the farm for intensive winter grazing from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2019. It does not have to be the same paddock. You must not have increased the size of the area beyond what was used for intensive winter grazing in any one winter between 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2019.

If you are unsure about the rules, please check with us.

The rules for winter grazing are changing for the 2025 season. The proposed Southland Water and Land Plan has been adopted by Environment Southland councillors. Central government has repealed the national winter grazing rules. However, winter grazing rules within the proposed Southland Water and Land Plan may still apply to you.

We encourage you to look at your grazing activities and the criteria you'd need to meet if you were to continue without a resource consent.

Resource consent

Mapping tool

The Cultivation and Intensive Winter Grazing mapping tool can help you understand more about the risks on your farm. The tool can help with planning for winter grazing, and for preparing to apply for consent.

The tool pulls in data from a range of areas into a map. You'll be able to see the features on your farm including waterways, stop banks, wetlands, drains and make good decisions around paddock selection, cultivation method and strategic grazing.