The Southern Advisory Group, convened to look at the policy, has recommended removing rules limiting pugging, dates when grazed crops must be replanted, and changes to the slope rules.
It also recommends removing the requirement to determine if the mean slope of a paddock was 10 degrees therefore requiring resource consent for winter crop grazing.
Instead, it recommends replacing it with a specific maximum slope of 15 degrees.
If adopted, this will make five the total number of changes the Government has made to the intensive winter grazing provisions contained in the Essential Freshwater rules which were only introduced in September.
In August the Government amended rules on pugging depths around fixed winter troughs and gateways, conceding they were not practical, and made changes to the definition of pugging.
It is also reviewing the accuracy of on-line slope maps that determine whether stock exclusion rules apply.
The group’s recommendations, called a winter grazing module, come from a pan industry group representing farmers, producer groups, Fish and Game NZ, Environment Southland and Iwi.
Local Government NZ, Ministry for Primary Industries and Ministry for the Environment were observers and provided advice.
The recommendations still have to be approved by Environment Minister David Parker and Primary Industries Minister Damien O’Connor.
Bernadette Hunt, the vice president of Southland Federated Farmers and a member of the group, says support for the changes was unanimous.
“We all believe there will be a better outcome for freshwater than the policy as it stands now.”
She says the recommendations follow the scientifically-proven approach of protecting critical source areas, low points in a paddock which transports water and runoff to a waterway.
“If you protect critical sources then you reduce the amount of contaminants reaching waterways.”
Importantly Hunt says this approach is also more likely to get buy-in from farmers who will view it as more practical than what is now in place.
“Even if it is difficult if they can see the benefit they will do it.
“When it is seen as illogical and arbitrary, they will find ways around it.”
For most farmers to comply, Hunt says they will need to document how they are managing their winter grazing and critical source areas to reduce the risk of contaminants entering waterways.
That could be done with photographs and farm maps to show those areas are fenced off or not cultivated.
Hunt says the proposed winter grazing module could ultimately be part of a farm plan or a Certified Freshwater Farm Plan, making it a permitted activity if the farmer is undertaking best practice.
The ministers are yet to respond and Hunt says she hopes that will happen soon as farmers need certainty.
“The ministers have acknowledged there is some urgency because even though many farmers have existing use rights there are some farmers who need resource consent for 2021 winter grazing and those crops are already in the ground.”
A joint statement from Parker and O’Connor says they were considering the report but stressed at some length the growth of dairy farming in the region and the impact winter grazing on water quality.
“We recognise that practice change does not happen overnight, and that winter grazing is an important component of many current systems, in Southland and elsewhere across the country,” O’Connor says.
“However, I am confident that freshwater farm plans will assist farmers in identifying on-going improvements which will provide increasing environmental benefits over time.”
Beef + Lamb NZ chairman Andrew Morrison welcomed the collaborative approach to the issue.
“There was genuine collaboration across the regional council, sector groups, farmers and Fish and Game.”
DairyNZ strategy and investment leader Dr David Burger says the rules need to be fair, reasonable and achievable, and a collaborative approach is the best way to achieve that.
