Farmers need to be aware of the rules in Otago’s Water Plan about intensive grazing, despite the government having delayed the implementation of new intensive winter grazing rules by a year, the Otago Regional Council (ORC) says.

The government announced in March that some new regulations around intensive winter grazing would be deferred until next year while a farm plan module is developed. 

While the new rules will come into effect in May 2022, national rules restricting the expansion of intensive winter grazing still apply.

“ORC is committed to working with our farming community to ensure they are operating within the rules and to encourage good management practices on-farm,” ORC regulatory general manager Richard Saunders said.

In Otago, the rules of the water regional plan still apply, including rules around intensive grazing introduced in Plan Change 8 in 2020 (which aligned Otago with other regions’ intensive grazing rules).

In some situations this may mean farmers need a consent for intensive grazing during this season or next season.

Consents won’t be required if the farmer can meet the permitted activity criteria in the rule, the ORC said in a statement. If they cannot, the farmer may still be able to continue intensive grazing without a consent under continuance rights, provided they continue grazing on the same scale and with the same effects.

Farmers do not need a resource consent if the area of intensive grazing is less than 100 ha, or 10 per cent of the total landholding; if the grazing area avoids critical source areas; if stock are break or block fed from the top to the bottom of a slope; or if a vegetated strip of at least 10m is maintained between the grazing area and any water body.

Otherwise farmers will need to apply to the Otago Regional Council for a resource consent to undertake intensive grazing this year or next year.

Anyone who is unsure but thinks they may need a consent is encouraged to get in touch with the ORC consents team ([email protected] or 0800 474 082), who can help determine if a consent is needed, the ORC said.

Richard said staff have developed a process for quick and affordable consenting starting from next week for farmers who do need a consent.

“The consents will cost $200 based on the staff time required, and will be issued for the period up to 1 November 2021. The national regulations deferred by the government, subject to any amendments, will take effect from May 2022. An intensive winter grazing farm plan module should also be in place in 2022,” he said.

The resource consent application form is available on ORC’s website.