Shelley Nairn. PHOTO/John Cowpland/alphapix
Plan Change 6, or the Tukituki Plan as it is now known, affects every property located in the Tukituki River catchment over 4ha in area.
The Plan has set timelines which landowners who are affected must meet.
• These are:
Start keeping the information you need to complete your nutrient budgets now.
A four-year average is needed, especially if your farming practices have changed.
Prepare and submit your farm plan to HBRC by May 31, 2018.
These plans must be, at minimum, signed off by an appropriately qualified person.
As it is expected that there will be limited numbers of people available to work with you to complete your plans, we recommend that you start thinking about the advisor(s) you will be working with now.
Your farm plan will need to be reviewed and updated as necessary annually from May 31, 2019 onwards.
• By May 31, 2020:
Your farm plan will need to have implemented.
Your nitrogen (N) leaching levels must comply with the LUC leaching rates set for your property.
N leaching will be an important consideration for farmers in areas of significant erosion or with a dairy cattle base.
For farmers with beef and deer, consideration needs to be given to phosphorous (P) loss and sediment runoff.
Some mitigants for these issues involves ensuring that stock (other than sheep) are excluded from rivers, lakes and wetlands on land with a slope of less than 15 degrees.
Rivers/waterways crossed by formed stock races must be bridged or culverted.
A new farm plan must be submitted to HBRC by May 31, 2021, and triennially thereafter.
The big stick with not meeting these deadlines is that you will need to apply to the regional council for resource consent to continue your business.
This may be a far more costly process than being proactive and acting now.
It is important to remember that every property is individual and any solutions needed to meet requirements under the Plan are also specific to that farm.
Shelley Nairn is a qualified farm environmental management specialist as well as chartered accountant at Crowe Horwath in Waipukurau.
Crowe Horwath are holding a seminar on Wednesday October 12, where attendees will gain an understanding of the process involved, key deadlines, information required and the benefits to their farming business once they've gone through the process.
Registrations are essential for this event.
For more information and to register, please visit www.crowehorwath.co.nz/events
By Shelley Nairn
Nutrient management and agri specialist
Crowe Horwath Waipukurau
'It is a much more efficient way of getting twice as many apples using a lot less water.'