ES chairman hails deferment of grazing rules
It’s four weeks since I had a full left knee replacement, and I’m recovering well. I am very grateful for the skill of the surgical team, the care of nurses and the level of pain relief provided to assist a rapid recovery.
It was impressed on me, the importance of pain control to ensure the rehab exercise regime wasn’t compromised. In other words, don’t allow barriers to get in the way of doing the right thing now, for longterm gain.
I see some parallels between my situation and the situation around the Government’s recent announcement to defer some winter grazing-related rules in its Essential Freshwater package, following receipt of recommendations from the Southland Advisory Group.
Some groups have interpreted the announcement as a delaying tactic or a back down, which it isn’t in any way, shape or form.
Rather, the deferment is very much about giving time to get the winter grazing component of environmental farm plans up and running, and to accommodate the process for any regulatory change.
These farm plans will be audited on a regular basis, going forward.
In Southland the sowing date and the pugging rule, which many people were concerned about, were broadly seen as unachievable and unenforceable.
Those rules had the potential to create a barrier, getting in the way of everyone doing the right thing.
There is a clear expectation that the council and industry organisations will continue to work with farmers this winter, and that there will be a demonstrable improvement in practices as outlined in the advisory group’s recommendations.
Regional councils, industry groups and Federated Farmers will need to work closely together to ensure that risk management and good practice is being carried out in every intensive winter grazing situation.
The reactivating of last year’s winter grazing group, this week, is a positive first step to making sure everyone walks the talk this winter.
The winter grazing group will again be focused on supporting farmers to achieve good winter grazing practice.
Its focus is quite different to the advisory group, which was all about finding practical application for the new regulations and advising ministers David Parker and Damien O’Connor.
We know there will be weather events over winter that will be challenging for winter grazing, so it’s important that everyone is prepared.
Ensuring good practices are in place, that there’s a focus on critical source area management and having a plan B are all important parts of any winter grazing management plan.
It has been very encouraging that the ministers were prepared to recognise the value of the advisory group’s recommendations, and emphasises the importance of speaking with one voice and the value of forming regional partnerships with the Government.
Minister David Parker has received some bad press from the farming community in the past.
The fact he has been prepared to take on board the need for policy change underlines his commitment to seeing genuine improvements to freshwater. It would have been politically easier for him to do nothing and have most of Labour’s support base thinking he was doing the right thing.
Environment Southland councillors have been working hard during the past few months on developing our Long-term Plan, for what will hopefully be, a post Covid19 world. This has certainly been the most difficult LTP I have been involved in, principally because of five factors.
One factor is the loss of cruise ship income in the foreseeable future, which has funded our coastal activities in the past. This loss amounts to $2.8 million a year, which on its own, equates to 10 per cent of our operating revenue.
Another factor is managing our flood protection infrastructure. We were successful in gaining significant Government funding support for flood protection shovelready projects worth $18.5 million.
The Government pays 75 per cent of the cost of these projects and the council will need to contribute its share – 25 per cent or $4.6 million.
Then there’s our financial reserves, which were essential following the February 2020 floods. It meant we could act quickly to repair damage. We now need to ensure we have adequate financial reserves in place so that Southland is resilient in the face of the next crisis or opportunity.
In addition, there will be a significant increase in plan changes, monitoring and regulations the Government requires regional councils to comply with.
Then there’s the non-regulatory programmes – working with our communities and in partnerships, which will be critical to meeting the outcomes we are all striving for. We’re up for the challenge, but it all comes at a cost.
Finally, we need to innovate to ensure our systems are smart, userfriendly and support Southlanders with the information they need to make good decisions for their businesses, properties and lives.
This Long-term Plan is about setting Southland up for a strong, resilient future, and it will require some tough decisions.
We will be going out for public consultation in May, and we really want your feedback, which will be carefully considered by the council.
In difficult times, future-focused leadership is required to get the balance right.
The reactivating of last year’s winter grazing group, this week, is a positive first step to making sure everyone walks the talk this winter.