8. Question No. 8—EnvironmentMARK CAMERON (ACT) to the Minister for the EnvironmentQuestion No. 8—Environment8. MARK CAMERON (ACT) to the Minister for the Environment: Is he concerned that the estimated 10000 resource consents necessary for farmers to comply with intensive winter grazing standards will not be issued by the 1 November deadline and how many farms are currently compliant with winter grazing standards across the country?Hon DAVID PARKER (Minister for the Environment): Intensive winter grazing releases sediment to waterways. At a 15-degree slope I'm advised that twice as much sediment is lost as at 10 degrees and at a 20-degree slope the amount of sediment lost is 300 percent. Under the intensive winter grazing regulations intensive winter grazing is a permitted activity on slopes up to 10 percent. Ministry for Primary Industries modelling at the time of that showed that a very small percentage of fodder crops are on slopes of more than 10 percent. I'm advised the 10000 number referred to by the member is based on an aggregate of theoretical maximum amounts of intensive winter grazing and that that has not been verified on the ground and is likely to be on the high side. None the less I have asked my officials to look into the expected number.Mark Cameron: What would the Minister say to farmers shelling out an estimated $1500 to $10000 for a resource consent with no guarantee that it will arrive in time to sow their winter crops?Hon DAVID PARKER: Well I'm not in a position to give advice to farmers as to how to manage those costs except to say that when a resource consent is applied for and granted it is generally a multi-year consent so those costs are spread over a long time. In respect of the time period this has been coming for some years. In respect of the people that do have intensive winter grazing that is on slopes of greater than 10 degrees or that are concerned that they might infringe the rules they should contact their regional council early. In fact the rules don't apply to the planting of crops; they apply to the grazing of them which will generally be from the onset of winter next year. But I would encourage people to contact their councils earlier so that there are no untoward surprises.Mark Cameron: Does the Minister stand by his statement made in relation to extending the 1 November deadline I'm not convinced that that is necessary but I will consider it."; if so has he considered it?Hon DAVID PARKER: Yes I do stand by that quote and I am considering it. I do think it's important that we do have some constraint on poor intensive winter grazing process and we do that through the Resource Management Act. The ways in which I am considering it include the verification of the number of consents that the member has referred to and consideration if that number is too high—and it may not be but if it was—how we could address the worst end of the problem. We are making progress on this issue as a country as a consequence of both central government local government and farmer action but that doesn't mean to say that we should turn our back on the worst most risky practices.Mark Cameron: So will the Minister delay the deadline for intensive winter grazing compliance to ease the burden on overstretched regional councils and allow farmers to get their crops in the ground ready for next winter; if not why?Hon DAVID PARKER: Well I'm advised that this will not overwhelm regional councils even if we were to proceed as the current law says. I'm also advised that in respect of some applications for resource consent which have already been made some have been turned around by councils in a matter of days; it's a non-notified application."