Regulations to better control the effects of intensive winter grazing (IWG) were introduced in the National Environmental Standards for Freshwater 2020, as part of the Essential Freshwater reforms. The updated regulations came into effect on 1 November 2022. Under these rules, farmers who can’t meet the Permitted Activity rules will need to apply for resource consent for intensive winter grazing by 1 May 2023. These rules apply to you if your property includes five hectares or more of horticulture, 20 hectares or more of pasture or arable crops, or 20 hectares or more of a combination of any of these.
Making and following a plan for how you manage intensive winter grazing is essential to reducing the risk of nutrients, faecal pathogens and sediment run-off contaminating freshwater. It is expected that all farmers are using an IWG management plan, which identifies the environmental risks and on farm mitigations. You will then need to determine if you also need a consent – please note we are taking a strategically staged approach to issuing consents by prioritising risk and environmental impact. The process for that is as follows:
The process for those who identify as high risk, and anyone else who wishes to start regardless of their risk level, to apply for consent is as follows:
The following resources may be beneficial: