Bay of Plenty Regional Council is once again reminding rural communities to keep grazing stock off stopbanks as winter sets in, so the structures can fully achieve their intended purpose.

Stopbanks provide essential flood protection for thousands of people in the region and, while they can be grazed by cattle at some times of the year, such as when the ground is firm in summer, grazing should be kept to a minimum during the winter months.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council is asking farmers to keep grazing stock off stopbanks. Photo: File.

Wetter soil conditions, combined with heavy animals, can weaken and damage stopbanks, says Council Principal Works Engineer Tony Dunlop.

'During winter it is common sense to keep cattle off the stopbanks as much as possible to prevent the pugging and damage they can cause,” explains Tony.

'Most farmers and lifestyle block owners know this and take care of our community assets.

'Good grass cover on a stopbank helps protect the soil structure underneath, so pugging is not just a surface problem.

'It can cause much greater issues; one weak area can have a disastrous effect on surrounding properties and stopbanks. All it takes is one breached section of stopbank to flood thousands of hectares of farmland.”

It isan offence to damage stopbanks, and landowners can be held liable for any damage.

'The stopbanks are designed to protect property, production and the safety of everyone in our community,” he adds.

'So we need to reinforce the importance of looking after our stopbanks to anyone who may be grazing stock.”

'We will keep an eye on our stopbanks to ensure farmers are doing the right thing. There is too much at stake to risk flood damage to the properties and surrounding communities.”

Council manages and maintains almost 352km of stopbanks, protecting many millions of dollars' worth of land and property.