Cabinet has agreed to provide more time for farmers and growers to comply with regional rules in the Southland Water and Land Plan, by revising national timelines, Agriculture Minister, Todd McClay, has announced.
“Southland’s regional plan contains a requirement for farmers to prepare a farm plan by the end of this year, if the national system is not in place,” said Mr McClay.
He said Cabinet’s decision will remove uncertainty for farmers in the region who would have been unable to meet these timeframes, giving them until mid-2026 to meet the regional requirements.
“We do not want to see hard-working farmers and growers in the region impacted through no fault of their own.”
In October, the national freshwater farm plan system was paused to enable improvements to make it more cost-effective and practical for farmers.
“Our action will avoid unnecessary duplication and give farmers more time to develop farm plans which are practical and fit-for-purpose,” Associate Environment Minister, Mr Hoggard says.
“We are committed to simplifying the system and removing red tape.”
Cabinet’s decision will enable the change to take effect in Southland only.
“We have worked closely with Environment Southland to swiftly come up with a workable solution to support Southland farmers,” said Environment Minister, Penny Simmonds.
“This targeted change will mean that national and regional farm planning systems are well aligned to avoid duplication, uncertainty, and cost.
“We intend to finalise changes to the national freshwater farm plan system by mid-2025,” she said.
Farm plan deadlines revised for Southland
