Keep grazing stock off stopbanks: Gisborne District Council; Horses, cattle, pigs can cause damage

Sheep are okay but the district council has made a plea to farmers to keep their cattle, horses and pigs off the region's stopbanks to better protect the vital flood protection resource. Photo / Paul Rickard

Gisborne District Council is reminding rural communities to keep large grazing livestock off the region’s stopbanks to help maintain their effectiveness as crucial flood protection assets.

Council community lifelines director Tim Barry said large stock had been seen grazing regularly on the banks.

“We’re asking the wider community to please be aware that this is an issue for our region.

“Sheep are okay, but cattle, pigs or horses are definitely not for because of the damage they can cause undermining the stopbank integrity,” Barry said.

“We appreciate most farmers have fences in place to control their stock.

“However, we’ve seen enough large stock grazing on the stopbanks that it’s worth reminding everyone that our stopbanks are among our community’s most valuable assets.

“They protect us, our properties and livelihoods and will fail at the weakest link, so we need to take care to ensure they are maintained to a high standard.

“They have an important job to do,” he said.

“This is why we’re reinforcing this message. Please look after our stopbanks.”