Intensive winter grazing is a farming practice where livestock are grazed on paddocks planted with forage crops. When done poorly, it can have serious negative effects on animal welfare and the environment.
Intensive winter grazing regulations were introduced in the National Environmental Standards for Freshwater 2020 (NES-F) as part of the Essential Freshwater reforms. They were last amended in October 2024 with some of the previous requirements removed to make them more practical for farmers and to reduce compliance costs.
Read the amendments to intensive winter grazing regulations document
In the future, requirements for intensive winter grazing will likely be managed through Freshwater Farm Plans.
Intensive winter grazing means the grazing of livestock on an annual forage crop at any time in the period that begins 1 May and ends 30 September. Generally, winter crops (where fed in situ) come under the intensive winter grazing regulations which cover:
Distance from water bodies
Critical source areas (CSAs)
Farmers will need to follow two standards for intensive winter grazing.
1. Minimum setback for land used for intensive winter grazing
An area of land that is used for intensive winter grazing on a farm must be located at least 5 m away from the bed of any river, lake, wetland, or drain (regardless of whether there is any water in it at the time).
2. Critical source area*
The following requirements apply in relation to any critical source area* that is within, or adjacent to, any area of land that is used for intensive winter grazing:
the critical source area must not be grazed; and
vegetation must be maintained as ground cover over all of the critical source area; and
maintaining that vegetation must not include cultivation or harvesting of annual forage crops.
*Critical source area means a landscape feature such as a gully, swale, or depression that:
accumulates runoff from adjacent land; and
delivers, or has the potential to deliver, 1 or more contaminants to 1 or more rivers, lakes, wetlands, or drains, or their beds (regardless of whether there is any water in them at the time).
There is no longer any option to gain a resource consent or use a freshwater farm plan if you cannot achieve the requirements. You will have to think about how you can change your wintering practices to protect critical source areas and avoid cultivating an annual forage crop closer than 5 m from any water body.
The restrictions on expansion of intensive winter grazing area or for new activities to gain a resource consent have been removed. You will no longer be required to gain a consent for expanding the intensive winter grazing area or for new areas, unless there are regional rules in place covering this, such as in the Lake Rotorua Catchment*
*Please note: Farmers undertaking Intensive Winter Grazing within the Lake Rotorua catchment are required to comply with their Nutrient Management Plans (NMP). If you are undertaking IWG within the Lake Rotorua catchment, but do not have it authorised within your NMP, please contact your Nutrient Management Officer from the Regional Council.
When can I carry out intensive winter grazing as a permitted activity
You can carry out intensive winter grazing as a permitted activity if you:
Meet the conditions in the national regulations (National Environmental Standards for Freshwater) and;
Meet your regional council permitted activity requirements.
You need to meet both national and regional permitted activity requirements for your winter grazing activities to be permitted.
What are forage crops and what are some examples?
Annual forage crops are crops grazed in the place where they are grown, including cereals (such as sorghum, barley, oats, ryecorn and triticale), brassicas (such as kale, turnips and swedes) and fodder beet.
If you are growing cereals, brassicas or fodder beet for grazing by stock during winter, it is a forage crop.
What if I am growing a mixture of annual forage crops and other crops?
If the mix is more pasture than it is fodder crop, then it will be treated as pasture.
For example, if it is 80% pasture and 20% fodder then it will not be treated as an annual forage crop. However, if it is 60% fodder and 40% pasture then it will be treated as an annual forage crop.
Is an annual ryegrass defined as an annual forage crop?
No, annual ryegrass is not considered an annual forage crop.
If you manage your cereal crops in a way that means that after grazing the crop re-grows and is harvested or grazed again without re-sowing, they will not be considered annual forage crops.
Rule 26, National Environmental Standards for Freshwater: livestock must be kept at least 5 m away from the bed of any river, lake, wetland, or drain (regardless of whether there is any water in it at the time).
How wide should my buffers be?
You must have a buffer of at least 5m from areas of grazed forage crop and rivers, lakes, wetlands or drains. This buffer is regardless of whether they contain water or not.
A 5m buffer is the minimum legal requirement. However, regional rules may require you to have wider buffer widths.
You may also want to consider wider buffers as good practice. The good practice rule of thumb is, the steeper the slope, the wider the buffer should be.
Where do I measure the buffer distance from?
The 5m buffer must be measured from the edge of the bed for rivers and lakes. This is measured from where the river reaches its fullest flow without overtopping its banks.
Speak to Regional Council for help on measuring buffers from wetlands. The aim is to avoid winter grazing in wet areas. If in doubt, be conservative and put in wider buffers and keep stock out of these areas.
A wetland includes permanently or intermittently wet areas, shallow water, and land water margins that support a natural ecosystem of plants and animals that are adapted to wet conditions.
Identification of whether an area is a wetland may require expert advice from an ecologist.
What about sub-surface drains?
Sub-surface drains are exempt from the buffer requirement (no buffer required).
The following requirements apply in relation to any critical source area that is within, or adjacent to, any area of land that is used for intensive winter grazing:
(i) the critical source area must not be grazed; and
(ii) vegetation must be maintained as ground cover over all of the critical source area; and
(iii) maintaining that vegetation must not include any cultivation or harvesting of annual forage crops.
How are Critical Source Areas defined in the rules?
Critical source area means a landscape feature such as a gully, swale, or depression that:
How do I identify Critical Source Areas?
Look for areas where water accumulates during rainfall events and which also connect to water bodies. These are Critical Source Areas. These areas can be on steep or shallow slopes.
If you are unsure, talk to Regional Council or farm advisor.
Am I allowed to graze stock in Critical Source Areas?
From 1 May to 30 September, stock cannot be grazed in Critical Source Areas within a winter crop area, unless you have an active resource consent to do so.
How do I manage Critical Source Areas?
Vegetation cover must be maintained in Critical Source Areas within a winter crop area. No cultivation or harvesting of annual forage crops can occur in Critical Source Areas during this time. You will need to apply for consent if you cannot meet these requirements.
You may also want to consider the following Good Management Practices:
The guidance above still applies. Stock cannot be grazed in these areas from 1 May to 30 September each year, without resource consent.
Can I graze the top part of the Critical Source Area if I have a buffer at the bottom of it?
No, you need to keep stock out of the whole Critical Source Area from 1 May to 30 September each year unless you have resource consent. It is good practice to put in place measures to trap sediment at the bottom of these Critical Source Areas, for example hay bales or sediment traps.
If you have any questions about the Intensive winter grazing regulations, please contact us
