Southland Storm 2010 – Federated Farmers Saturday update

As the scale of the event becomes evident, Federated Farmers, together with the Rural Support Trust Southland, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) and supportive agribusinesses, are in detailed planning over the weekend. Farmers in the worst affected areas should start seeing these teams from Monday. If you need urgent help then please call 0800 327 646.

Environment Southland has suspended enforcement in the worst hit areas:

Federated Farmers applauds Environment Southland for suspending all enforcement in the worst hit areas detailed below. This is a tremendous gesture from ES and removes a key concern given the sustained severity of these weather systems This means that:

- all but one of ES’ Compliance trucks are off the road

- one truck is still doing inspections north of Gore but will be pulled if the situation in that area changes

- no invoices, especially cost recovery ones, will be going out at the moment

- the compliance team is on standby to give advice, especially with regard to full effluent ponds (please see further advice below)

- the Land Sustainability team the same, especially with regard to dead stock

- the Consents Manager is working with Slinkskins on their options, including composting, mass burial and reducing the number collected

- complaints/incidents are being responded to on a case by case basis, recognising the situation out there

- ES is also involved with the Rural Events Trust, providing secretarial services and have offered the use of its new Civil Defence Emergency Management headquarters

Members are advised that compliance visits will be focussed on problem solving until the weather situation improves. Another assessment will be made by ES compliance staff next week as to weather conditions and compliance visits. The compliance and land sustainability team is available to give advice, especially with regard to full effluent ponds and disposal of dead stock. Environment Southland can be contacted on 0800 768 845.

Advice for members with full effluent ponds:

There will be a number of farmers who have effluent ponds reaching capacity as a result of continuing wet conditions made worse by the recent storm. Animal welfare will continue to be the immediate priority for most farmers and that is being recognised by the authorities.

If you have a full pond, flexibility will be given in your consent conditions so that you can discharge effluent to what will be saturated soils. The preference is to continue to divert to a pond if at all possible. If you can no longer do that then please try and minimise the adverse effects of discharging effluent.

You can do this by:

- using as lower rate as possible

- shifting irrigators frequently

- selecting areas that are away from waterways and drains

- using parts of the farm that are not sloping to avoid direct run off.

While ES is suspending compliance in the short term, Federated Farmers encourages you to contact ES if you have or think you might have an issue over the coming weeks. The compliance team is offering their expertise to minimise environmental affects from the worst storm in a generation. You can contact Environment Southland on 0800 768 845.

DairyNZ’s environmental extension specialists:

Dairy NZ’s Invercargill based environmental extension specialists are experts in farm effluent systems and have had recent crisis experience with the Canterbury earthquake.

Disposal of dead stock (over and above ES and Slinkskins work):

This is never an easy job because farmers are focused on keeping their stock alive. For dead stock, existing offal pits may be filled with water, which will make burial difficult. Burial will remain the best option for some farmers where this hasn’t occurred. However, it might be possible as a temporary measure to bury stock in a shallow trench away from groundwater and well back (50 - 100m) from dwellings, sheds, boundaries, roads and surface water bodies. As farmers assess the extent of losses please feed in your labour needs to 0800 327 646.

Short term weather outlook:

This afternoon, there will be a few spots of rain developing and strong gusty northwesterlies. Tomorrow, there will be scattered rain at first, clearing during the morning and becoming fine apart from a few showers about Stewart Island. Gusty northwesterlies, gale in exposed places. On Monday, expect fine weather with northerly winds. On Tuesday it will be mainly fine with northwesterlies, strong and gusty at times. On Wednesday it will become cloudy, with rain or showers. Northwesterlies dying out. For the latest MetService update, please click here

Tips for Managing Stress:

Following the Canterbury Earthquake, the following advice applies equally to Southland. Stress is normal but the key is to manage it especially when stress levels rise - here are some excellent tips from the Rural Support Trust North Canterbury:

- talk to people – a problem shared is a problem halved

- develop a work plan and prioritise steps for recovery

- take time out to relax

- limit your expectations and focus on most important tasks.

Stress is a health issue and it is important not to take a ‘stiff upper lip’ approach. The Bealey Centre’s John Dugdale, a clinical psychologist, lists these steps for managing crises:

1. Impact – often feel numbness

2. Turmoil – feelings kick in and people can feel unsafe, depressed or angry. They can give startled responses and become hyper vigilant, so don’t think as efficiently and effectively. John warned people not to ‘horribilise’ – don’t rehearse what might have happened. He also noted that people can either withdraw into themselves or become very active

3. Take control – tap into resources and social support. Think about reconstruction but people can fall into unhelpful coping strategies.

In the short term, people should get on with things but if people continue feeling stressed then they need to let people know by contacting Federated Farmers, Rural Support Trust and Rural Women New Zealand to access help. Federated Farmers endorses Mr Dugdale’s advice to stay calm, take control, make a plan and look out for one another. If you see a neighbour struggling then speak to them and reinforce they are not alone – also call one of the numbers listed below.

ENDS

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