The Government has confirmed the details around what will be required in preparing, certifying and auditing freshwater farm plans, which are part of the Government’s Essential Freshwater package, to improve freshwater health and management.
Freshwater farm plans will be phased in region by region over the coming years to ensure they are practical, starting in parts of the Waikato and Southland on 1 August this year. They will apply to properties with 20 hectares or more in arable or pastoral use, five hectares or more in horticultural use, or 20 hectares or more in combined use. The regulations provide farmers with 18 months to prepare their first plan after the regulations take effect in their region (which will be in January 2025 for Waikato and Southland). The rollout period for the remaining regions is expected to be announced later this year.
FAR’s Environmental Policy Advisor, Hannah Ritchie, says FAR has been following the development of the regulations and is planning a series of workshops to assist Southland and Waikato growers with Freshwater Farm Plan development.
“The good news is, that having read through the regulations, it seems that any grower who already has a Farm Environment Plan based on the existing FAR template, will already have gathered much of the information required to develop their Freshwater Farm Plan. However, more work and cost will be involved in having Freshwater Plans certified and audited than was the case with FEPs.”
More information: Ministry for the Environment Rural Hub