Farmers planting winter crops in paddocks with more than a 10-degree slope, near a critical source area, or if their farm has either 10% in winter grazing — or more than 50ha — needs a certified Freshwater Farm Plan to mitigate risks or get a resource consent from November 1.
Shawn McAvinue asks farmers at events in the South last week how they are tracking at getting any paperwork their regional council requires?
Sheep and beef farmer Carolyn Dundass, of Paerau Valley... "I haven’t made a start. I don’t think we’ll need a consent where we are but it’s just another regulation we have to do."
Dairy farmer Billy Singh, of Wallacetown... "We don’t have any paddocks on the slopey stuff, we crop everything on the plain. We are planting winter crops in a few weeks and we will leave a bigger buffer zone by a creek this year."
Dairy farmer Jeff Kinraid, of Lochiel... "We have a plan but we don’t need consents at this stage because we don’t have much land in crop and my farm is flat — we just make sure we identify critical areas and keep stock away from them by not cropping it."
Dairy farmer Robert Bruin, of Otautau ... "I’ve got a big wintering pad so I haven’t got those wintering issues. I’ve got no crops and my farm is flat, so no problems."
Sheep and beef farmer Hamish Cameron, of Hills Creek ... "I had to go looking for the paperwork, it didn’t come to me. I was surprised how much of our farm was under 10-degrees. We don’t have to comply to a lot of it."
Sheep and beef farmer David Sangster, of Patearoa ... "We are lucky because we have under 10% in winter grazing and our farm is flat. The thing that’s pissing us off is the Significant Natural Areas because they want 200ha of our farm, which we can’t graze cows on. That didn’t go down very well."
Sheep and beef farmer Ethan Smith, of The Styx ... "It’s one thing I’ll get around to. We should be right with our winter stuff but trying to find the regulations on it is like pulling teeth."
