"As wet weather has set in we have seen a number of stock on banks that have caused minor damage."
It was a statutory offence to damage the stopbanks and landowners could be held liable to pay for any resulting repairs, Thomas said.
Stopbanks required careful management and it was important there was enough grass to prevent scouring in a flood event.
"Stock damage can increase the potential for this to happen.
"We really appreciate the effort many farmers put in to control stock damage caused by grazing during the year. We just want to remind people that it is the time of year again where stock do need to be grazed elsewhere to avoid any damage."
Thomas said stopbanks protected property and production worth billions of dollars and also ensured the safety of many in our community.
"Any chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
"All it takes is one breached section of stopbank to flood hundreds of hectares of farmland, and potentially impact homes and people's lives."
Horizons manages and maintains almost 500km of stopbanks, protecting more than 46,000 hectares of land.
A copy of the stopbank grazing guidelines pamphlet is available to view online at www.horizons.govt.nz with hard copies available upon request.
