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Stock Exclusion

Stock exclusion

stock exclusion brochureStock activity can damage the bed and banks of our waterways. Dung, urine and sediment can also seriously impact water quality, the lives of animals living there and mahinga kai values.

New regulations under the Essential Freshwater package mean that stock must be kept at least three metres from our waterways.

This is being applied in a phased approach up to 1 July 2025.

The stock exclusion rules apply to beef cattle, dairy cows, dairy support cows, pigs and deer, and are slightly different for each. Sheep are excluded from the new regulations’,

The dates by which each stock type must exclude from waterways are detailed below.

National proposed amendments

There are currently amendments being proposed to some of the Stock Exclusion (s360) regulations (low slope map)

For more information read the Ministry for the Environment's consultation on the changes 

Excluding stock from waterways fact sheet

Stock exclusion rules

The Stock Exclusion Regulations 2020 require stock on new pastoral systems to be excluded from lakes and wide rivers (rivers with a bed wider than one-metre) with a three-metre minimum setback.

If a permanent fence was already in place on 3 September 2020, the three-metre minimum setback doesn’t apply.

A permanent fence is defined as a post and batten fence with driven or dug fence posts, an electric fence with at least two electrified wires and driven or dug fence posts, or a deer fence.

Stock must also be fully excluded from wetlands. There is no minimum setback distance.

Rivers and lakes

  • 3 September 2020 – all new beef operations established on or after this date must exclude stock from rivers and lakes.
  • 1 July 2023 – beef cattle that are intensively grazed on any terrain must be excluded from rivers and lakes.
  • 1 July 2025 – beef cattle on low slope land must be excluded from rivers and lakes.

Wetlands

  • 3 September 2020 – all new beef operations established on or after this date must exclude stock from wetlands.
  • 1 July 2023 – all beef farms must exclude stock from natural wetlands identified (as of 3 September 2020) in Regional Resource Management Plan.
  • 1 July 2025 – all beef farms must exclude stock from natural wetlands that support a threatened species and that are larger than 500m² on low slope land.

Rivers and lakes

  • 3 September 2020 – all new dairy farms established on or after this date must exclude stock from rivers and lakes.
  • 1 July 2023 – existing dairy farms must exclude stock from rivers and lakes.

Wetlands

  • 3 September 2020 – all new dairy farms established on or after this date must exclude stock from wetlands.
  • 1 July 2023 – dairy cows must be excluded from natural wetlands identified (as of 3 September 2020) in the Regional Resource Management Plan.
  • 1 July 2025 – dairy cows must be excluded from natural wetlands that support threatened species and that are larger than 500m² on low slope land.

Rivers and lakes

  • 3 September 2020 – new dairy support operations established on or after this date must exclude stock from rivers and lakes.
  • 1 July 2023 – no additional rules apply to dairy support cows on this date.
  • 1 July 2025 – all dairy support operations must exclude stock from rivers and lakes.

Wetlands

  • 3 September 2020 – all new dairy support operations established on or after this date must exclude stock from wetlands.
  • 1 July 2023 – dairy support cows must be excluded from natural wetlands identified (as of 3 September 2020) in the Regional Resource Management Plan.
  • 1 July 2025 – dairy support cows must be excluded from natural wetlands that support threatened species and that are larger than 500m² on low slope land.

Rivers and lakes

  • 3 September 2020 – all new pig operations established on or after this date must exclude pigs from rivers and lakes.
  • 1 July 2023 – all pig farms (including those that existed on 3 September 2020) must exclude pigs from rivers and lakes.

Wetlands

  • 3 September 2020 – all new pig operations established on or after this date must exclude pigs from wetlands.
  • 1 July 2023 – pig farms must exclude pigs from natural wetlands identified (as at 3 September 2020) in an operative regional plan, district plan or regional policy statement.
  • 1 July 2025 – pig farms must exclude pigs from natural wetlands that support threatened species and that are larger than 500m² on low slope land.

Rivers and lakes

  • 3 September 2020 – all new deer operations established on or after this date must exclude stock from rivers and lakes.
  • 1 July 2023 – intensively grazed deer must be excluded from rivers and lakes.
  • 1 July 2025 – deer on low slope land must be excluded from river and lakes.

Wetlands

  • 3 September 2020 – all new deer operations established on or after this date must exclude stock from wetlands.
  • 1 July 2023 – deer must be excluded from natural wetlands identified (as of 3 September 2020) in the Regional Resource Management Plan.
  • 1 July 2025 – deer must be excluded from natural wetlands that support threatened species and that are larger than 500m² on low slope land.

Stock crossings

Stock can cross lakes and rivers if they are supervised and actively driven across the waterbody. Stock cannot cross the same lake or river more than twice in any month.

Where stock will be crossing a river or lake more than twice in any month, a dedicated bridge or culvert must be installed.

Need help? 

If you have any questions about the new Essential Freshwater regulations for stock exclusion, please contact us.

Stock exclusion rules in the Tukituki catchment

  1. Stock exclusion rules apply after 31 May 2020 but you need to start planning now.
  2. You do not need to exclude sheep
  3. You will have to exclude all stock (other than sheep) from waterway on land with a slope less than 15 degrees.
  4. On sloping land greater than 15 degrees you do not need to exclude stock if the stocking rate, excluding sheep, is less than 18su/ha when in the paddock, including the waterway.
  5. If you are not in a priority sub-catchment and you will have a stocking rate, excluding sheep, of more than 18su/ha on land greater than 15 degrees, and if you feel it is not reasonably practical to exclude stock, you can identify other actions that you will take to reduce phosphorus losses from your farms. Details these in your Farm Environmental Management Plan (FEMP).
  6. You must exclude stock from all flowing permanent and intermittent rivers/creeks, lakes and wetlands. An intermittent river or creek is a waterway that periodically flows and has a defined river bed that is predominantly un-vegetated and comprised of silt, sand, gravel and similar.
  7. You are allowed to graze fenced-of riparian areas for weed control purposes, however you can only do this between 1 November and 30 April for a total of 7 days.

The rule of thumb is that we do not want to see stock standing in water. This may mean excluding stock all year round or just excluding them in winter.

Do I have to plant the stock excluded areas?

Planting and management of riparian strips alongside waterways is not a condition of the Tukituki Plan Change. It is actively encouraged because it has multiple benefits for both water quality and biodiversity, and can also help with farm management.  The regional council has good quality native plants for sale – further information is provided

What is a stock unit?

The definition of stock unit that the Regional Council uses are the same as those used in the Beef & Lamb survey, and for benchmarking stock classes not included in the survey, the overseer defaults are used.

low intensity stock chart

 

 

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