Advocating for winter grazing change

Beef + Lamb New Zealand says it will continue to advocate for changes to controversial winter grazing rules — which have now been deferred for a year — including seeking deletion of the pugging standards, resowing dates and the slope trigger.

Farming organisations have welcomed the Government’s decision to delay the introduction of the regulations until May 2022.

In a statement this week, Environment Minister David Parker and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said the farming sector had agreed to make immediate improvements.

In return for the sector’s commitment, the introduction of regulations had been deferred while those improvements were made. However, rules preventing the expansion of intensive winter grazing (IWG) would still apply.

The deferment would enable an IWG farm plan module to be rapidly developed, tested and deployed ready for formal incorporation into wider certified freshwater farm plans in 2022, Mr Parker said.

Immediate improvements in IWG practices this season were required and he had set out his expectations to both councils and industry bodies.

Increased monitoring and reporting by councils would also ensure measurable improvements in IWG by May 2022. That would also include quarter reports to him, he said.

"If done poorly, IWG has serious negative effects on animal welfare and the environment, particularly freshwater health and estuaries. Farming leaders accept that these practices need to improve and they want to be part of the solution," he said.

A draft IWG farm plan module had been developed by the Southland Advisory Group, which included Environment Southland, DairyNZ, Beef+Lamb, Fish and Game and Federated Farmers, with input from iwi and Local Government NZ.

In a statement, B+LNZ chief executive Sam McIvor said it was encouraging the Government had accepted some of the Southland advisory group’s proposals.

It seemed that if the IWG module was successful, that might mean the Government looked more favourably on ‘‘amending the rules and deleting the more draconian requirements", he said.

Federated Farmers said it was pleased the Government had taken the time to listen to and understand the practical difficulties that accompanied the rules on winter grazing.

‘‘[Mr] Parker has recognised workability issues need to be sorted and that extra time is vital to ensure we get this right. This is not kicking for touch.

‘‘The minister has accepted a commitment from regional councils and the farming sector to use this time to develop, test and deploy an IWG module and practices that will ultimately be a part of a certified freshwater farm plan," water spokesman Chris Allen said.

There was ‘‘universal recognition" the Essential Freshwater national rules passed in August last year had ‘‘a number of unworkable parts", Mr Allen said.

DairyNZ chairman Jim van der Poel said the decision gave farmers reassurance they could prepare for winter. They now had time to continue implementing good management practices that would drive positive progress.