16th April 2026 // Rural News in partnership with Farmlands

Stock Exclusion Rules Get Overhaul Beef Up, Sheep Numbers Down Interest Rate Hikes On Horizon Rural News is in partnership with Farmlands as part of CountryWide CONNECT with Andy Thompson & Sarah Perriam-Lampp - our daily rural show livestreamed from 11am-1pm. Visit country-wide.co.nz on how to watch / listen.   Stock Exclusion Rules Get Overhaul The Government is overhauling Stock Exclusion Regulations, replacing blanket national rules with locally tailored decisions based on on-farm risk and regional conditions. Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says the previous approach was widely seen as inflexible and in some regions disproportionate to the environmental benefit. The key change amends Regulation 17 of the Resource Management Act's Stock Exclusion Regulations, so beef cattle and deer that are not intensively grazing are no longer automatically excluded from natural wetlands supporting threatened species. Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard says well-managed low-intensity grazing near wetlands can provide natural weed control, reducing the need for chemicals. Hoggard says the focus is now on fit-for-purpose farm plans tailored to specific catchments and on-farm risks — rather than one-size-fits-all directives from Wellington.   Beef Up, Sheep Numbers Down New Zealand's beef cattle herd grew four percent in 2025 to 3.8 million head, according to final figures from Stats NZ's Agricultural Production Survey. The increase of 153,000 animals continues a longer trend, with beef cattle numbers up eight percent over the past decade. Dairy cattle numbers dipped one percent to 5.7 million, while the sheep flock fell one percent to 23.3 million at 30 June 2025. The longer-term picture shows a more significant shift — sheep numbers are down 20 percent over ten years, and dairy cattle have fallen 11 percent from their peak. New Zealand's grassland base remained stable at 7 million hectares, suggesting the shift in numbers reflects changing land use priorities rather than any reduction in farming activity.   Interest Rate Hikes On Horizon New Zealand farmers are facing a rising interest rate environment, with RaboResearch’s latest economic update forecasting the Reserve Bank will begin hiking the Official Cash Rate from October — potentially earlier if inflation pressures prove harder to contain than expected. The OCR currently sits at 2.25% following the Reserve Bank's March decision to hold, but the Bank has already revised its June quarter inflation forecast sharply upward from 2.7 to 4.2 percent. The Reserve Bank says weak economic growth may slow how quickly firms can pass higher costs on to consumers, giving it some breathing room before acting. But RaboResearch warns the Bank may be underestimating oil price risks from the Middle East conflict.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.