increase font size
Environment Southland says it supports the recently announced changes to intensive winter grazing rules.
Environment Southland (ES) says it welcomes the recently announced changes to intensive winter grazing rules.
We fully support the changes that have been made to the National Environmental Standards for Freshwater and can see the Government has carefully considered the recommendations from the Southland Advisory Group in making those changes,” says ES chairman Nicol Horrell.
The Southland Advisory Group was established by Environment Southland following a meeting with farmers and Ministers David Parker and Damien O’Connor in September 2020. The group was tasked with looking at the implementation of the intensive winter grazing rules within the National Environmental Standards for Freshwater.
The group included several farmers, and staff from Beef + Lamb NZ, DairyNZ, Federated Farmers, Fish and Game and ES. Their report was presented to Minister in December 2020.
“The advisory group’s recommendations around pugging, mean slope, and resowing dates have clearly been taken on board. We are glad the Government has taken these steps as they will provide practical solutions, not only for farmers to implement on the ground, but also for councils which monitor and enforce these regulations,” Horrell says.
The updated regulations come into effect on 1 November 2022 and will not impact the 2022 winter grazing season.
However, farmers planning intensive winter grazing operation for the 2023 season will need to be familiar with the new regulations and requirements. Existing use rights will not apply to the 2023 winter grazing season and practices will need to be adjusted to comply with the new regulations.
“While we welcome these amendments, we still need to assess the changes in more detail to understand the implications,” says Horrell.
Claims that some Southland farmers were invoiced up to $4000 for winter grazing compliance checks despite not breaching rules are being rejected by Environment Southland.
Environment Southland's catchment improvement funding is once again available for innovative landowners in need of a boost to get their project going.
OPINION: The Hound hears from his canine pals in Southland that an individual's derogatory remarks on social media have left them wishing they had kept their mouth firmly closed.
Winter grazing is looming again and the Ministry for Primary Industries says it's going to increase proactive farm visits and provide practical advice for farmers in the lead up to the season.
Otago Regional Council is set to begin its annual winter farm flyovers in the next three weeks.
NZPork has appointed Auckland-based Paul Bucknell as its new chair.
The Government claims to have delivered on its election promise to protect productive farmland from emissions trading scheme (ETS) but red meat farmers aren’t happy.
Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.
The Ministry for the Environment is joining as a national award sponsor in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA from next year).
Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.
OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.
OPINION: For years, the ironically named Dr Mike Joy has used his position at Victoria University to wage an activist-style…
OPINION: A mate of yours truly has had an absolute gutsful of the activist group SAFE.
