| 61 Frustration, worry over compliance Ewes and lambs follow the feeder on the Wallace family farm in South Otago, while the dog watches on wating to be sent back to get the stragglers. Inset: Straw bale sediment trap in a Critical Source Area (CSA). Russell Fredric MEAT & WOOL » Logan Wallace Like his fellow farmers, Logan Wallace has had plenty to get his head around during the past couple of years, especially as Federated Farmers Otago meat and wool chairman. This year is his third in this role and when not occupied with farm matters, he may well be wrangling papers related to current or proposed regulatory issues. Among these is Otago Regional Council’s Plan Change 8 for discharge management which, in its present form, became operative from September 3 this year. From a farming perspective, the plan change amended existing rules and introduced new provisions for effluent storage and application to land through new minimum standards, better managing contaminant loss from intensive winter grazing, managing stock access to water bodies and incentivising the use of small in-stream sediment traps. Logan says it was extremely valuable to be part of the Plan Change 8 mediation process involving multiple stakeholders in the lead-up the plan being implemented. “One of the things I’m quite proud of was the (amended) definition we got included in the plan for the critical source areas which excluded all subsurface drainage; the initial definition included subsurface drainage which meant that a lot of South Otago couldn’t have done a winter crop anywhere on their farm.” A critical source area is a landscape feature such as a gully, swale or depression that accumulates run-off from adjacent areas and from which the run-off drains into waterways. “Now the national winter grazing regulations have come over the top of the regional ones. We’ve are currently starting the consultation for the new land and water plan for Otago. “This plan has to put into effect all the Government’s national policy statements that have changed in the last term of Government. It’s the first plan under the new Te Mana o te Wai framework which puts the well-being of environment at the centre of freshwater management. “The Otago plan is going to be the precedentsetting water plan in the country as it’s the first one that’s going through the process.” A key aspect of Federated Farmers role in the process is to seek to ensure farmers are able to carry on farming with minimal disruption. “There’s a huge amount of frustration at the moment and worry due to all the compliance costs that are being imposed by the Government through He Waka eke Noa and then new winter grazing rules.” “The concern is the new water plans regionally add another layer of costs on top of what the Government’s already done, so it’s trying to make sure we don’t have two or three different rules trying to deal with the same problem.” Logan leases his parent’s 270 hectare effective South Otago farm which supports 2600 Romney/ Texel ewes and 700 hoggets which he owns along with the farm’s plant. It lies at the headwaters of the Wairuna Stream which hosts a healthy population of native galaxiid fish. While the regulatory environment has become increasingly challenging, Logan, like many of his peers, is strongly environmentally conscious. He was the Supreme award winner in the 2018 Otago Ballance Farm Environment Awards as well as the FMG Young Farmer of the Year the same year. “The Otago plan is going to be the precedent-setting water plan in the country as it’s the first one that’s going through the process.” PHONE CRAIG: 027 210 4590 GENERAL EXCAVATING | LANE MAINTENANCE | TIP TRUCKS MUCK SPREADING | TILE CLEANING | DRAINAGE AND SITE WORKS Peter Chisholm 027 433 8943 • cmcadmin@xtra.co.nz Leigh McHaffie 027 454 5139 | Manager 027 770 4182 Office Administration 03 208 5585 Hours Mon - Thur 9am -12pm PETER CHISHOLM Mobile: 027 433 8943 Email: peterchisholm@xtra.co.nz LEIGH MCH Mobile: 027 454 5139 CULTIVATION Ploughing Discing Power Harrowing Cultivator Mole Ploughing Ripping BALING Mowing Mower Conditioner Tedding Raking Small Square baling Round baling – with variable chamber balers Baleage Combination baler Individual wrapper Tube Wrapper CARTAGE ON FARM USING TRACTOR TRAILERS CONTACT: CMC C NTRACTING CAN OFFER: SEEDING Fodder Beat precision sowing Direct Drill with rubber tyred roller Grass roller drill Heva 6m roller seeder Power harrow ridger combination DIGGER PETER CHISHOLM Mobile: 027 433 8943 Email: peterchisholm@xtra.co.nz LEIGH MCH Mobile: 027 454 5139 CULTIVATION Ploughing Discing Power Harrowing Cultivator Mol Ploughing Ripping BALING Mowing Mower Conditioner Tedd ng Raking Small Square baling Round baling – with variable chamber balers Bale ge Combination baler Individual wrapper Tube Wrapper CARTAGE ON FARM USING TRACTOR TRAILERS CONTACT: CMC CONTRACTING CAN OFFER: SEEDING Fodder Beat precision sowing Direct Drill with rubber tyred roller Grass roller drill Heva 6m roller seeder Power harrow ridger combination DIGGER WAI KAKAGENETICS looking to get ahead? 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