Farm Environment Plans
A Farm Environment Plan (FEP) is your tool to help you identify the environmental risks on your farm and make plans to manage and mitigate those risks. Your plan will be unique to your farm and consider the type of farming, operational practices and local environment.
You may have heard some talk about Freshwater Farm Plans, a concept introduced in the Government’s Essential Freshwater package.
Freshwater Farm Plans are likely some years away from being rolled out in Canterbury, so farmers aren't being asked to look into them yet.
What should be in an FEP?
Your resource consent for land use, water use or effluent discharge describes what information should be in your FEP.
This will include general information about your farming operation, identification of the environmental risks and mitigations, identification of good management practices, and possibly some zone-specific requirements. These may include:
- Irrigation management
- Nutrient management
- Soil structure preservation
- Mahinga kai protection
- Māori rock art protection (in South Canterbury)
If you have multiple consents that each require an FEP, then you should include all the requirements in one FEP. You do not need multiple FEPs.
Getting your FEP audited
An FEP audit is an independent assessment of how you are following your FEP, carried out by an approved auditor.
The date of your first audit will be determined by your resource consent or water supplier’s consent. Subsequent audit dates will depend on your audit grade, with higher grades meaning less frequent audits.
When your audit date is coming up, we will send you a reminder, but it’s your responsibility to contact an auditor and arrange the audit.
If you have received any advice or input from an auditor in any component of the preparation of an FEP or audit, including nutrient budgets, then the same auditor cannot audit that farm.
The auditor will visit your farm to verify your farming practices, check your records and paperwork, and either submit a FEP Audit report to us, or if appropriate, your water supplier, or irrigation scheme. You will also receive a copy of the FEP Audit Report with any required actions detailed for your reference.
Use our Ready for Audit checklist (PDF File, 73.94KB) to make sure you have the evidence available to show your auditor.
Our approved FEP auditors follow the Canterbury Certified FEP Auditor Manual (PDF File, 2.44MB), as well as the FEP auditor guidance documents. These standards have been developed by Environment Canterbury with input from industry and FEP Auditors.
Resources
FEP compliance
View the Farmers Guide to Environment Canterbury Rules (PDF File, 3.74MB). Please note, that for some activities, sub-regional rules apply.
Each financial year, we report on the grades for each audit. Take a look at how many audits achieve a pass grade.
FEP templates
You can use our Farm Environment Plan Template (XLSM File, 1.41MB) to help with creating your FEP.
- Beef and Lamb NZ
- DairyNZ
- Opuha Water Ltd
- The AgriBusiness Group
- Whakaora Te Waihora 0800 324 636
- AgFirst
- FarmIQ
- Environment Canterbury Permitted Activity Management Plan (PDF 253 KB)
- Foundation for Arable Research
- Irricon Resource Solutions
- Irrigo Centre 03 975 8547
- NZPork Farm Environment Plan
- Synlait Milk Ltd
- Fonterra - Call your Area Manager - 0800 65 65 68
- Ravensdown 021 860 659
- Agri Magic - info@agrimagic.co.nz
- NZ GAP Template
- Opuha Water Ltd
- Ballance
- Morven Glenavy Ikawai Irrigation Company
- Rangitata Diversion Race Management Ltd
- Waimakariri Irrigation Ltd
- Irrigo Centre 03 975 8547
- Amuri Irrigation Company Ltd - 03 315 8984
- Dairy Farm Management Services (DFMS)
FEP auditors
The following are our currently approved Farm Environment Plan auditors.
Contact | Company | Phone | |
---|---|---|---|
Alison Van Polanen |
EnviroPlan Limited | 021 946 419 | alison@enviroplan.nz |
Arron Hutton |
Ravensdown Ltd | 021 900 242 | arron.hutton@ravensdown.co.nz |
Amelia Wood |
Element Environmental | 027 821 9946 | Amelia@element.org.nz |
Belinda Meares |
Irricon Resource Solutions | 021 242 0023 | belinda@irricon.co.nz |
Ben Howden |
Ravensdown Ltd | 021 940 963 | ben.howden@ravensdown.co.nz |
Charlotte Senior |
Agri Intel | 027 310 1438 | charlotte@agriintel.co.nz |
Dave Lucock |
The Agribusiness Group | 027 258 0771 | dave@agribusinessgroup.com |
David Ashby |
Dave Ashby Rural Consultants Ltd | 027 450 2934 | dave@darcl.nz |
David Hewson |
Hewson Rural Consulting Ltd | 021 241 3549 | david.hewson.consulting@outlook.com |
Emma Brand |
Brand Consulting Ltd | emma@brandconsulting.co.nz | |
Erin Harvie |
Bowden Environmental | 027 434 7438 | erin@bowden.co.nz |
Hannah Foster |
Ravensdown Ltd | 021 405 671 | hannah.foster@ravensdown.co.nz |
John Holmes |
Rural Consulting Ltd | 027 774 7772 | john@ruralconsulting.co.nz |
Julie Lambie |
Agribusiness Group | 027 378 1971 | julie@agribusinessgroup.com |
Leah Gorman |
EnviroPlan Limited | 027 737 5697 | leah@enviroplan.nz |
Michael Edmondson |
Agri Environmental Limited | 021 503 397 | michael.edmondson@outlook.com |
Nicky Watt |
Irricon Resource Solutions | 021 220 1136 | nicky@irricon.co.nz |
Nicole Matheson |
MHV Water Limited | 027 205 2355 | nicole@mhvwater.nz |
Nicole Phillips |
Irricon Resource Solutions | 027 414 0456 | nicole@irricon.co.nz |
Paul Reese |
Matai Consultants Limited | 027 731 4433 | paul@matai.nz |
Steph Wright |
Envirocollective | 027 281 1251 | steph@envirocollective.co.nz |
Sue Cumberworth |
027 628 6110 | sue.cumberworth@gmail.com |