Dairy farms can expect a visit from ORC officials in coming weeks.

Most of Otago’s 462 dairy farms will be visited by the Otago Regional Council’s compliance team in the coming weeks, part of an annual monitoring programme.

The council’s compliance monitoring team leader, Mike Cummings, said last season staff visited 400 dairy farms – some more than twice.

This year the focus will be on compliance with dairy effluent storage and application to land, the management of silage, farm rubbish and offal and where water is sourced and how it is used on farm.

By December 4, all dairy farms with less than 40 days’ effluent storage will need a resource consent for applying dairy effluent to land and many farmers will require a consent for effluent storage as well.

Cummings said the programme allows staff to document compliance but is also education-focused.

Where appropriate, compliance action is considered.

Staff use the opportunity to talk to farmers on a range of topics such as clearing drains, installing crossings across streams and how to become compliant with rules.

“The dairy programme gives us a great opportunity to continue to work with the dairy sector and have good conversations about their on-farm activities,” he said.

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