1
5 Bamboo powers corn fuel Vol 22 No 27, July 15, 2024
View online at farmersweekly.co.nz
$4.95 Incl GST
New dam mess lands in farmers’ laps NEWS
D
Regulations
AM safety regulations are headed for a train wreck that will cost farmers dearly unless they act urgently. This is according to a water policy expert, speaking as a deadline for new safety regulations looms. The new regulations came into effect in May this year with compliance due in August – and there are still hundreds of farm dams to be registered and certified. Irrigation New Zealand (INZ) has attempted to gain some concessions, but the responsibility for action now lies fairly and squarely with the dam owners, chief executive Vanessa Winning said. Dams 4m in height and with capacities exceeding 20,000 cubic metres fall into the new regulation as classified dams. At the core of these regulations lies a risk assessment framework that focuses on the potential impacts if dam infrastructure fails. Central to the compliance process is the requirement to obtain a certified Potential Impact Classification (PIC) for each dam. Farmers can only obtain this certification from a recognised dam safety engineer and the deadline is August 13. While regulation has been 25
years in the making, Winning said the issue is the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) did not clarify the regulation until March this year, giving less than a year for farmers to comply. “Prior to the 1990s there was no building code in place, now there’s about 2500 dams to track down with not enough time and not enough registered dam safety engineers. “It is urgent, farmers need to do something now. “There is good information on the INZ and MBIE websites. There is no excuse to not know what to do.” Just 250, 10%, of impacted dams have so far been registered. “We believe there’s about 2500 to be considered. “We agree we need this register to check the safety of dams but we need more time and more resources to do it.” While the registration of recognised dam engineers by Engineering NZ is progressing, the availability of these engineers currently varies from region to region, given their training only started in October 2023. INZ has asked for more time, proposing that farmers get their dams registered now so the dams are identified and located, with implementation of the PIC certification pushed out 12 months. Continued page 3
Michael Fraher, left, the owner of Crater Rim Winery in Waipara, and rural business consultant Andy Nurse discuss dam safety regulations, which require certification from a recognised dam safety engineer by August 13. Nurse says the legislation is an important safety step. Photo: Joseph Johnson
A business built around grain S FOECT CU OR S
Annette Scott
Innovation and forward thinking are paying dividends for the Gardyne family of Gore.
ARABLE 21-24
Relations between NZ’s Farming groups say no onemaize growers and size-fits-all for proposed companies at an all-time low. freshwater farm plans.
A commercial eel fisherman talks challenges, water and eeling ins and outs.
NEWS 3
PEOPLE 18
NEWS 8
FIELDAYS TENDED EX DEALS
See the deals online!
Great deals on Cattle Crushes, Gates, Headbails, Racewells, Yards & More!
www.tepari.com
UN
31 TIL
ST
Y 20 L U J
24