Winter grazing systems are being assessed on southern farms, the Ministry for Primary Industries says.
National response manager Andrew Curtis, of Wellington, said ministry staff were now visiting southern farms and providing practical advice for farmers before the winter grazing season.
"We will prioritise visits to farms where it can be more problematic to manage soil conditions during periods of wet weather.
"We’ll be assessing these farms before livestock start grazing winter feed and they will be closely monitored to ensure they are meeting animal welfare standards."
The farm visits were being made earlier this year than past years, Mr Curtis said.
"We want to get out as soon as possible to some of the areas that we know are more prone to issues relating to intensive winter grazing and start talking to people and making sure that they’ve got a plan and that they’re ready to go, and they’ve thought about their farm systems and they’ve thought about the techniques they can employ to make sure they’re good and ready for whatever the weather holds for us."
Ministry staff would revisit the farms next month, he said.
The ministry was collaborating with regional councils and industry groups, especially in Otago and Southland, to develop practical information to help farmers prepare.
"There’s an array of public meetings to spread the word and talk about plans."
An information flyer containing a winter grazing checklist would be distributed, he said.
Extra support was available for Southland farmers around managing their animals and reducing mud build-up, Mr Curtis said.
"Most farmers work hard to do the right thing and have carefully planned ahead to look after their animals.
"Some farmers will need to continue adapting their approaches to ensure they have more robust back-up plans during extreme weather, which can come with little warning.
"A well-planned winter grazing system supports good animal health and welfare. It ensures animals have sufficient and appropriate feed, access to clean water and comfortable areas to lie down and rest."
The ministry’s proactive on-the-ground support aims to ensure better outcomes for livestock, the environment, and farmers.
"MPI will also have a helicopter in the air from time to time so that we can pinpoint potential winter grazing problem areas," Mr Curtis said.
The primary purpose of the helicopter was "to get up high and identify where there may be paddocks that are starting to suffer under adverse weather".
Earlier this year, the ministry prosecuted a Southland livestock grazing company for allowing hundreds of cattle to graze in mud and the company was fined $48,750.
"We visited numerous properties throughout Southland during winter 2024 and found most farmers were on top of their winter grazing requirements with good plans in place."
The ministry would support the farmers doing the right things and educate the ones who were struggling to comply.
"Enforcement’s reserved for those who won’t comply or can’t comply, and we don’t jump to it, but certainly we don’t shy away from using our legal instruments should they be required."
Animal welfare was everyone’s responsibility and the ministry strongly encouraged anyone aware of animal ill-treatment or cruelty to report it to the MPI animal welfare complaints freephone: 080000-83-33.
Meanwhile, the Otago Regional Council’s (ORC) annual winter farm flyovers are set to begin within the next three weeks.
ORC compliance manager Carlo Bell said as with previous years, the flyovers would be looking at forestry and any machinery working in or around streams, rivers and wetlands and intensive winter grazing.
"The ORC undertakes compliance flights every year to gain a bird’s eye view on land use in districts around the region to identify any potential risks to water quality."
Mr Bell said following the flyovers, staff would assess the information and undertake site visits and follow ups on any potential high-risk sites to "ground truth" observations and check compliance.
For the winter grazing activities Mr Bell acknowledged the government had recently changed the regulations relating to intensive winter grazing and encouraged Otago farmers to continue with their best management practices.
"We know farmers are well set for this winter and have grazing plans in place and are able to maintain the gains put in place from previous gazing seasons. While the regulations have changed, good practice hasn’t changed."
Anyone who sees pollution of a waterway was encouraged to call the ORC’s 24/7 pollution hotline on 0800-800-033, or email pollution@orc.govt.nz.
