Activities in the Tukituki catchment

A FEMP is a Farm Environment Management Plan. It summarises the potential risks in a farming operation, and describes how these risks will be managed and reduced over time.

All properties in the Tukituki catchment area are required to have a Farm Environmental Management Plan (FEMP).

Dissolved inorganic nitrogen is immediately available for plant uptake which in turn can cause nuisance algal growth in the streams and rivers. The limit for DIN was set to five years of data to ensure that any climatic variability has been curtailed by the data length/duration. This approach targets only the catchments that are under pressure from excessive nitrogen leaching. In the Tukituki the over allocated sub-catchments are up to five times over the limit.

Nutrient budgets allow nitrogen leaching rates and phosphorus losses to be worked out for a particular farm property of farming enterprise. It is generated using a nutrient budgeting model, such as OverseerFM, and forms part of the requirements of a Farm Environmental Management Plan (FEMP).

An agricultural management tool that assists in understanding nutrient use and movements on a farm which can help landowners optimise production and environmental outcomes. Overseer is owned and administered by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), the Fertiliser Association of New Zealand and Ag Research.

Here is more guidance to explain.

Land Use Capability Classification is a system in use in New Zealand since the 1950s to try and achieve sustainable land development and management on farms. The system classifies all of New Zealand’s rural land into one of eight classes, based on its physical characteristics and attributes. Class 1 land is the most versatile and can be used for a wide range of land uses. Class 8 land has a lot of physical limitations, it may be extremely steep, and not generally suitable for arable, pastoral or commercial forestry use.

An Assessment of Environmental Effects is a written statement which identifies the effects of your proposed activity or activities on the environment so that the likely impact of the proposal can be assessed. The AEE should also describe the ways in which any negative effects are to be remedied, avoided or mitigated.

Means farm properties or farming enterprises that contain no more than 8 stock units per hectare including:

• permanent horticultural and viticultural crops (such as orchards, vineyards) and lifestyle properties; but does not include:

a) Properties used for the production of rotational vegetable crops;

b) Dairy farms;

c) Grazed forage crops.

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