Have a say on changes to livestock movement law

Waikato District Council are calling for submission on their proposed changes to the Livestock Movement Bylaw.

Council Roading manager Ross Bayer said Council has worked extensively with Federated Farmers to make the proposed bylaw work for farmers, Council and the public as best as possible.

“We do acknowledge that farmers just want to get on with it and farm, but we need to put some rules in place that ensure the safety of road users, farmers and livestock, while protecting the structure and surfaces of our roads.”

When livestock are moved on public roads as part of farming activity, it can pose a health and safety risk, they said in a press release.

This is especially the case if they are moved without adequate warnings or controls in place, are moved too often, or on roads which have high volumes of traffic.

Council’s proposed Livestock Movement Bylaw sets out rules on moving livestock safely on roads. It also identifies where livestock movement is allowed, prohibited, or requires a Council permit, based on the safety profile of the road.

It sets out Council’s permit requirements and notes how costs would be shared for stock underpasses.

The safety profile of a road classifies how busy a road actually is, and the proposed bylaw explains when stock movement is allowed, considering the type of road and average number of days stock would cross the road in a week.

Under the proposed bylaw stock could cross unsealed roads on six of seven days a week without a permit required.

On the other hand, a low traffic volume sealed rural road would require a farmer to have a permit to move stock across it five or more days in a week.

Submissions are open from Monday 20 September.

The closing date of submissions is being reviewed due to the potential effect of Covid-19 on the submission process.

If you want your submission heard by Council, a hearing will be held.

The date of the hearing will be confirmed at a later date, again due to the potential impact of Covid-19 alert levels.

You can make a submission by:

• visiting here and filling out a submission form
• Email here  (with the heading Livestock Movement Bylaw – Submission)
• Post a submission form to Waikato District Council, Private Bag 544, Ngaruawahia 3742