Farm Environment Plans
A farm environment plan (FEP) is a key environmental risk-management tool which helps farmers recognise on-farm environmental risks, and set out a programme to manage those risks. FEPs are unique to a property and reflect the local climate and soils, the type of farming operation, and the goals and aspirations of the land user. The level of complexity of a FEP will largely depend on how much farm system change is under way or being considered.
FEPs and the Land & Water Regional Plan
FEPs are required under the Land & Water Regional Plan (LWRP) for farms with a higher risk of leaching nutrients – for animal effluent discharge, water take and use, land use for farming and nutrient discharge from an irrigation scheme.