Freshwater Farm Plan Changes Welcomed by Primary Sector

Primary sector groups say the changes give great clarity, reduce costly consenting processes and are in line with what the sector has been asking for. In essence, while all farmers or growers will need to produce a farm plan as such, only those deemed to be engaged in 'high risk' activities will need to have their plan certified.

The risk activities are defined as dairy farming, grazing pigs, commercial vegetable growing and land used for feedlots.

Exempt from audited plans are orchardists and vineyards, and sheep and beef farming operations will only need to have an audited plan if any of the activities on their properties are deemed high risk. In the case of winter grazing or irrigation, the auditing requirement will only kick in if the land used for this purpose is more than 50ha or 10% of the farm, whichever is the greatest.

Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says the changes to freshwater farm plans create a simpler, cheaper system focused on real risk. He says the changes fix a system which farmers said was too costly and too complicated for the risk involved on many properties.

"These changes fix that," he says.

Associate Agriculture Minister Andrew Hoggard says once the regulations are in place, the Government will be helping farmers get their plans sorted so they're ready to go under the new planning system, where they will play a key role.

He adds that a pathway has been set up for industry organisations to provide certification and audit services to their members when their plans are delivering equivalent outcomes, avoiding duplication.

"As a farmer, I hate having to do a job twice, especially if it involves paperwork," he says.

Hoggard says the changes result in a system that is risk-based, focuses on managing those actual water quality risks, avoids unnecessary duplication and reduces costs.

Greater Clarity

Federated Farmers president Colin Hurst says the changes make the system much more straightforward, practical and give greater clarity.

He says Feds have been clear that farm plans can have a role to play in improving freshwater outcomes, but only if they are practical, proportionate and reduce red tape rather than adding to it.

Hurst says his organisation is particularly pleased that not every farm plan will require certification and auditing, and where certification is required, it'll generally apply only to the higher-risk activity that triggers it, rather than the whole farm.

"That's a really big win for farmers who under the previous approach could have had their whole farm dragged into certification," he says.

Hurst says Feds have long argued that farm plans should replace and not add to regulation and adds that this is the most important issue still to be resolved.

Right Balance

Beef+Lamb NZ describes the changes as pragmatic and cautiously welcomed them.

Chair Kate Acland says B+LNZ had been advocating for a system that is practical and workable for farmers and one that takes a risk-based approach to what is required.

"In principle, we support farmers having a plan for how they manage their land - including their water, biodiversity and soil health. Land is their most important asset, after all, but plans should add value to a farming business - not simply be a compliance tool," she says.

Acland says it's critical to strike the right balance in the level of regulation around freshwater plans.

DairyNZ chair Tracy Brown says the new system is simple, more practical and lower cost. They say this means less duplication, reduced compliance burden, and greater flexibility in how environmental outcomes are achieved on farm.

Brown says DairyNZ welcomes improvements that reduce cost and complexity and provide greater flexibility in plan structure.

NZVeg, which represents commercial vegetable growers, says it applauds the Government for taking action to provide certainty in the key growing areas of Pukekohe and Levin, where regional plan changes could have seen growers walking off the land.

CEO Mike Brown says growers in these areas have been living with uncertainty for more than a decade, due to tortuous and expensive regional plan change processes.

"It was incredible to think that growers could have been forced to arbitrarily reduce vegetable production by as much as a third in some areas. And at the same time, increased prices when New Zealanders are facing a cost of living crisis," he says.

Brown says the changes will restore confidence to the vegetable industry, and support growers to do what they do best: grow fresh vegetables at reasonable prices, for the good of Kiwis' health."