Synthetic nitrogen fertiliser is defined in the National Environmental Standards for Freshwater (NES-FW) as any substance (whether solid or liquid) that is more than 5% nitrogen by weight and is applied to land as a source of nitrogen nutrition for plants. It includes any manufactured urea, diammonium phosphate, or sulphate of ammonia.
This excludes composts, soil treatments, and or fertiliser that are derived from plant or animal waste and are minimally processed (eg, by being composted, mixed, dried, and pelleted).
On 1 July 2021, the Government, under the new Essential Freshwater package, introduced a cap on the application of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser for land grazed by livestock.
All farms over 20 hectares with grazed pasture, can no longer apply more than 190 kg of synthetic nitrogen per hectare per year (190kg N/ha/year). This limit applies both as an average for the farm* and to each hectare (with a limited exception for land used to grow annual forage crops). In circumstances where this cap cannot be met, resource consent is required.
*Farm in this case refers to a contiguous landholding – that is, each adjoining or touching land parcel is considered part of the same farm, while land parcels that don’t border others are considered separate farms.
DairyNZ has developed this useful ‘Decision Tree’ that clearly sets out whether you will require a resource consent.
Any synthetic nitrogen applied to land used to grow pasture or other grazed vegetation is covered by the nitrogen cap regardless of the:
The Nitrogen cap does not apply to non-grazed arable land or horticultural crops.
To comply with the rules, all farmers grazing stock on a farm area of more than 20 hectares are required to record their synthetic nitrogen use in the twelve-month period from 1 July to 30 June in the following year. So, for the 2023 recording period, this would be from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024.
This spreadsheet is available for download and it can be populated throughout the year as you purchase and apply fertiliser and then saved for your own information and records. The spreadsheet contains all required information fields needed for you to comply with the Regulations.
For dairy farmers who are now required to report their nitrogen use (see information below) and choose to use the N-Cap portal for this purpose, this spreadsheet will automatically calculate the required end data that can then be inputted into the portal at year's end.
To comply with the rules, dairy farmers are also required to report their records of synthetic nitrogen use. This report is to cover the period from 1 July–30 June and is to be submitted by 31 July each year. So, for the 2023 recording period, this would be records from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024 that then need to be reported by 31 July 2024.
The Regional and Unitary Councils committed to working together with Ravensdown and Ballance to deliver a consistent method for storing and reporting synthetic nitrogen fertiliser data. Ravensdown and Ballance offer tools for dairy farmers to use to record synthetic nitrogen use. The Regional and Unitary Councils (Te Uru Kahika) have also developed a web-based tool named N-Cap. It is a farmer’s choice which tool they use to report their nitrogen use. You only need to report your nitrogen use via ONE of these tools.
The three nitrogen-use reporting tools that you can choose from to record and submit your synthetic nitrogen use are:
Help Guides for the Haweye app can be found:
For help with using the N-Cap reporting tool, the developers have released a series of tutorial videos.
All three tools will guide you through how to create the required records necessary to comply with the Regulations. This includes information such as the farm business entity and location, fertiliser purchases, land area used for grazing and growing grazed crops, along with dates, volume, and types of synthetic nitrogen application.
In October 2021, the Ministry for the Environment published several nitrogen cap guidance documents, covering the different types of farming operations.
Mfe - Nitrogen cap guidance for arable cropping, forestry and horticulture
Mfe - Understanding the synthetic nitrogen fertiliser cap
Mfe - Nitrogen cap guidance for livestock farms
Mfe - Nitrogen cap guidance for dairy farms
If you cannot meet the 190kg N/ha/year cap (at both property and hectare levels) or have any questions please reach out to our Duty Planner via NRDutyPlanner@tasman.govt.nz. They will discuss your options and provide advice on whether you can apply for resource consent for a non-complying activity.
Your fertiliser or dairy farming rep may be able to provide advice on the reduction of synthetic nitrogen use on farm to bring your farming practices into compliance with the Regulations.
HawkEye, MyBallance, and the N-Cap webform each have functions that allow you to view and download a PDF copy of the information that you, or your representative, have entered for your farm. It is a summary report of all the information you have authorised for submission to the NCap data store for reporting to councils and MfE.
The information flows directly to the N-Cap data store and is reported to the regional councils to assist with identifying compliant and non-compliant synthetic nitrogen application rates.
Summary data by region, without individual farm contact information, will be provided to the Ministry for the Environment and used by the system administrators to monitor progress in reporting.
Council will hold the submitted data for compliance purposes. If you have any questions about the information held for your farm, please make direct contact with our Catchment Facilitator’s via ruralinfo@tasman.govt.nz.
If you have not purchased or applied synthetic fertiliser in the 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024 period, please record the synthetic nitrogen use as ‘zero’ in HawkEye, MyBallance or the Regional Sector N-Cap webform. This will be the same requirement for any year when you do not use synthetic nitrogen fertiliser
You are not required to provide fertiliser receipts, but you are required under the Regulations to keep the physical receipts or other documents of purchase on file, so they are available if there is any query by Council.
Sometimes fertiliser costs are shared by a farm owner and sharemilker, either by splitting an invoice for payment or each buying independently for the same property. The information needed to meet the reporting requirements is the application rate of synthetic nitrogen on pastoral land, regardless of the terms of purchase or payment.
You should record the application rates for all synthetic nitrogen fertiliser used on the grazed area; this should be recorded only once for each contiguous landholding. You should keep the physical receipts of purchase on file, so they are available if there is any query by the Council.
With the National Environmental Standards for Freshwater in place from 2020 the records of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser use will need to be part of your Due Diligence for potential farm purchase.
If you have purchased or applied synthetic fertiliser in the 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024 period, this amount needs to be recorded in your fertiliser supplier’s tool (HawkEye or MyBallance) or the web portal supplied by the Regional Sector. If you have records available from the previous owner this can also be recorded; your complete record for the next season will be required.
If you have not purchased or applied synthetic fertiliser in the 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024 period, and do not have records from the previous owner, please record the synthetic nitrogen use as ‘zero’ in your fertiliser supplier’s tool (HawkEye or MyBallance) or the N-Cap Webform supplied by the regional sector. Your complete record for the next season will be required.
There is good guidance available from the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) about how to record synthetic nitrogen use for these different land uses. The guidance from the MfE website is here.
Last modified:
