Seven years of Farm Surroundings Plan (FEP) audit information collected by Surroundings Canterbury exhibits a dramatic carry in environmental efficiency throughout the area.
It launched FEP audits via the Land and Water Regional Plan (LWRP) to make sure farm practices are managed to scale back dangers to water high quality and defend mahinga kai (meals gathering) values.
The variety of farms receiving A grades in Canterbury has jumped considerably — from 14% in 2017 to 77% through the 2024-25 interval.
The variety of C and D grades dropped from 12% to 2% in the identical interval.
Selwyn main the best way in FEP audits
The info was introduced to Decrease Selwyn catchment’s Jap Plains Land Person Group (EPLUG) by the group’s environmental adviser, Agri Intel director and FEP auditor Charlotte Senior, supported by the ECan FEP programme supervisor Melissa Gillespie.
Sharing the information with the neighborhood helped reinforce that the efforts made by many farmers on the bottom are being recognised and felt.
“It could make you surprise if it’s all price it if you find yourself caught doing paperwork or trying on the price related to auditing … however be assured it’s,” Charlotte mentioned.
“Path is extra essential than pace, and the information from the FEP programme exhibits farmers are not off course.”
Selwyn outperforms wider Canterbury outcomes by about 10%, reflecting its earlier adoption of audits in 2017 underneath the Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan.
The remainder of Canterbury was on common two to 3 years later.
“Each Canterbury and Selwyn have lifted, however Selwyn led the best way — A grades have turn into the norm and C and D grades are actually virtually gone,” Charlotte mentioned.
Holding the road: groundwater nitrate ranges trending down
Central Plains Water Ltd’s (CPWL) newest groundwater monitoring exhibits nitrate ranges have been trending down in most wells the corporate screens through the previous 5 years.
“The excellent news is that information throughout Selwyn backs up the progress we’re seeing on the bottom,” Charlotte mentioned.
In line with impartial evaluation undertaken by Lincoln Agritech, within the final 5 years alone, 60% of wells monitored by CPWL had proven clear indicators of enchancment, she mentioned.
“It’s not a coincidence that CPWL groundwater monitoring outcomes are enhancing — that’s farmers making adjustments and sticking with them. Efforts are actually beginning to add up.”
Irrigation administration: successful story
Charlotte mentioned a standout space of enchancment has been irrigation administration. Whereas noting it’s nonetheless the administration space with the second-most points (after effluent), actual progress has been seen in irrigation effectivity and administration, whilst necessities to conform have turn into extra stringent.
“It’s an actual excellent news story. Folks are actually understanding and utilizing their information, somewhat than simply shopping for gear and gathering numbers they don’t have a look at.”
Degree of confidence in irrigation administration
An FEP auditor undertakes a stage of confidence (LoC) evaluation to find out achievement of the farm’s administration apply targets and goals.
In 2018-19, solely about one-third of farms had been rated as a excessive LoC for attaining irrigation administration outcomes in each Canterbury and Selwyn districts.
Quick ahead to 2024-25, and that is now 80% and 90% of farms in Canterbury and Selwyn respectively.
“The progress on this area has been a collective effort from farmers and business gamers like IrrigationNZ, irrigation suppliers, schemes and the FEP audit group, Melissa mentioned.
“We’ve now obtained extra farmers who actually know their methods effectively and may clarify what they count on from their irrigation methods, or why they run them the best way they do.”
Reframing the narrative
Since 2021, the FEP framework has been extra structured and legally supported to make audits defensible and constant, together with the event of formal steering paperwork.
“Over the previous 5 years we’ve seen a giant shift in how Good Administration Apply (GMP) is interpreted and utilized,” Melissa mentioned.
It has been a collective course of — one they each agreed had advanced right into a “residing framework”.
“Tips have tightened up and there’s been plenty of nice suggestions from business on that as effectively, in order that’s been fairly a collaborative effort,” Charlotte mentioned.
Farmers now profit from larger readability about what the auditors are in search of and the way grades are decided.
“From an auditor’s perspective, that consistency is an effective factor — it means everybody’s working from the identical playbook.”
The place to from right here?
It’s no secret that altering guidelines, laws and useful resource administration reform have left many landowners confused and unsure about the best way ahead.
The subsequent huge change anticipated in Canterbury would be the rollout of Freshwater Farm Plans (FWFPs), though simply when this variation will be anticipated stays to be seen.
“Whereas the federal government could also be making adjustments on this area, it’s essential to recollect we haven’t rolled out FWFPs in Canterbury, and till we do, we stay underneath the FEP programme as required by particular person consent circumstances,” Melissa mentioned.
“These are required all through a consent, so it’s essential to stay targeted on what’s required now somewhat than ready for the brand new system to land.”
Maintaining the nice work — what issues now
The place farmers need to transfer past the required good administration practices, there are frameworks being trialled to help this. Nonetheless, you will need to keep in mind the FEP Programme shouldn’t be about pushing to the following stage, it’s about ensuring threat is managed constantly throughout all farms.
“It may be actually highly effective to file your progress and preserve data to point out how far you’ve come,” Charlotte mentioned.
“Even easy photograph factors, ‘earlier than’ and ‘after’ pictures, or a number of notes in your FEP can inform a robust story of enchancment over time.”
Whereas regulatory change is coming, the concentrate on understanding dangers, proof and file preserving, effectivity and outcomes will stay.
“We worth and commend all of the work being executed by farmers to handle dangers and likewise for proving that GMP does make a distinction,” Charlotte mentioned.
“The info’s displaying it, the water’s displaying it, and actually the progress throughout the Selwyn catchment is one thing to be happy with.”
