Intensive Winter Grazing is subject to new rules under the new National Environmental Standards for Freshwater Regulations 2020 (NES-F). These are national rules, so impact everybody who intensively grazes stock over winter.
Intensive Winter Grazing (IWG) is grazing livestock (including sheep) on an annual forage crop at any time in the period that begins on 1 May and ends on 30 September of the same year.
An annual forage crop is a crop, other than pasture, that is grazed in the place where it is grown. Annual ryegrass is a pasture, so is not considered an annual forage crop.
When done poorly, IWG can have serious negative effects on animal welfare and the environment. Making and following a plan for how you manage IWG is essential to reducing nutrient and sediment run-off and improving soil productivity.
On 1 November 2022, new rules around winter grazing came into force. Under the NES-F, farms that don’t meet the Permitted Activity rules (see below) will require a certified Freshwater Farm Plan or to have applied for resource consent by 1 May 2024.
However, as the Freshwater Farm Plans regulations are not yet active in Tasman, you will need resource consent (see below) if you can’t meet the Permitted Activity rules.
A Permitted Activity rule outlines certain conditions that need to be met to operate without consent. If your activity meets all of those conditions, you don’t need council authorisation and are not required to notify us of the activity.
Download and use the flowchart on the right to determine if you can operate under the Permitted Activity rules.
If you plan to conduct Intensive Winter Grazing in 2024 and can’t meet the Permitted Activity rules, you will need to lodge a resource consent application by 1 May 2024. You are not required to have been granted resource consent, only to have lodged an application by this date.
While you won't be granted resource consent immediately, you can still continue with planning and planting for next season and grazing in 2024, as long as you're following your IWG Management Plan and are consistent with what you’ve applied for.
Download an application form
Download our Intensive Winter Grazing resource consent application form (pdf 441 KB). Using this form will make the application process as simple, efficient, and easy as possible.
An Intensive Winter Grazing Management Plan is a key feature of the application and a requirement of the consent and your future Freshwater Farm Plan going forward.
If you're planning to intensively winter graze stock in 2024, you need to:
Whether you're doing intensive winter grazing as a Permitted Activity or applying for resource consent, one thing won't change – you'll need a written plan that clearly identifies the environmental risks associated with the activity, and how you plan to manage and mitigate each of these risks.
Your Intensive Winter Grazing Plan will be the key reference you follow over the winter months.
Government and industry organisations have developed several IWG Management Templates and guidance documents you can use to make your plan:
