"We're very pleased that the government has listened to our feedback and the feedback from many farmers on the essential freshwater policies around wintering.
"We've always advocated for more fair policies and to make sure the policies were more science-based."
The removal of pugging and resowing rules were the changes DairyNZ was particularly pleased with, Burger said.
"Paddocks can now be resown following winter cropping as soon as conditions allow, rather than by a fixed date, and the rules for the pugging depth in paddocks have been removed altogether and replaced with a requirement to minimise the effects of plugging."
The new regulations will come into effect on November 1, but farmers had already done a lot of work around wintering plans, Burger said.
Eighty per cent of dairy farmers had a wintering plan at the start of the season and 89 per cent also had a contingency plan to protect their animals and the environment in bad weather.
Farmers were also working on managing critical source areas, he said.
Critical source areas are low lying areas on farms such as gullies, where water and nutrients can pool, creating a risk to water quality.
"I think overall farming practices are changing significantly and there's lot more focus on managing critical source areas and making sure you've got that backup plan in place to manage the effects of sediment loss in particular."
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Burger advised farmers to get familiar with the new rules before November 1 and make sure they had a plan for the upcoming winter season.
"Sit down with the team and get the plan on paper and also have a contingency plan for when things go wrong, for animal care and for the environment."
Farmers could get in touch with their local DairyNZ office for more information, or they could check out DairyNZ's website, Burger said.
"Just sit down and make sure you've got those sort of things ticked off."
Winter grazing changes announced by the Government
• Paddocks will need to be re-sown following winter cropping as soon as conditions allow, instead of by a fixed date.
• Rules about pugging depth in paddocks have been removed and replaced with a requirement that farmers take steps to minimise the effects of pugging on freshwater.
• Farmers must protect critical source areas, by not cultivating and grazing them during the winter grazing period from May to September.
• Farmers who carry out winter grazing in paddocks with slopes over 10 degrees will also need to either obtain a resource consent, or include how they will mitigate risks in their certified freshwater farm plan once these are available.
