Dairy farmers across Otago are being reminded to undertake best practices to safeguard water quality and transport safety when the annual stock Moving Day begins on Thursday.

Moving Day starts from June 1 and continues for several weeks. It’s a tradition where dairy cow herds and farmers move between farm properties, mostly by stock truck.

Otago Regional Council compliance manager Tami Sargeant said effluent from stock trucks can put road users and adjacent waterways at risk, and farmers are asked to stand off their animals for at least four to twelve hours, prior to transporting them.

“The emphasis is on farmers’ standing their stock the day before moving, and for the trucking companies to make use of the roadside effluent disposal sites.”

Effluent can get onto roads, become a safety hazard for other drivers, and can run off into roadside drains or pollute adjacent waterways, she said.

The ORC and several local authorities now operate nine roadside effluent disposal sites across Otago, with six disposal sites on State Highway 1 between Pukeuri and Clinton, and three on inland highways, at Raes Junction, Brassknocker Rd and Tarras.

Farmers walking their herd along a road should keep them away from roadside drains, and avoid disturbed soil, to stop effluent entering waterways.

Roadside effluent disposal sites across Otago. GRAPHIC: Supplied

Standing off green feed 

Cows should be stood off green feed for at least four hours, but no more than 12 hours, before they are loaded onto trucks, which helps reduce the amount of effluent on trucks.

For welfare reasons, DairyNZ also recommends that a grazed-out paddock or stand-off pad are better options for standing stock, than a concrete surface, as the latter can contribute to tender feet and are not good for stock to lie down on.

For general enquiries, contact the ORC Environmental Implementation Team Catchment Advisors on 0800 474 082, or email them at [email protected].

Please report stock truck effluent spills into waterways to the ORC’s Pollution Hotline on 0800 800 033

You can find out more at the Otago Regional Council and Dairy NZ websites.