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NW I Issue 35 I 2013

People planning to own horses must register as an owner of stock with the Department of Agriculture and Food.

Horse ownership is a popular pursuit for many small landholders.

An equine management plan is an effective way to ensure that your horse does not adversely impact on the land, soil, water, air and vegetation of your small property.

The plan is a useful tool that addresses best management of the environment and details how you will manage nutrients, dust, odour, water resources and paddocks.

New landholders intending to keep horses and existing landholders wishing to increase horse numbers on their property, are advised to contact their local government authority (LGA) in the first instance.

Local government authorities recognise the social, recreational, economic and historical value of localised equestrian activity and foster policies and strategies that attempt to manage the local equine industry in a sustainable way.

In most cases your LGA will require an equine management plan (EMP) and in addition, all people planning to keep horse(s) need to be registered as owners of stock with the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA).

When registering with DAFWA (as you are legally required to in Western Australia), you will be issued a property identification code (PIC) for the property where your horse(s) will live.

It could be land you own or agist from someone else.

Horses are also required to be identified by the age of six months (18 months in pastoral areas) or before they leave the property, whichever happens first.

They should be freeze or fire branded with your stock brand, as per your PIC card.

The brand will consist of two letters and one numeral and should be

placed on the left shoulder of the horse.

If your horse already has a stock brand from its previous owner, you do not have to rebrand if you have documents that prove your ownership or possession of the horse, but you can rebrand the horse with your own brand if you wish.

Alternative identification such as a microchip may be approved on application to DAFWA.

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Equine management plans for small landholdings

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Alternative identification such as a microchip can be used under specific conditions.

For more information and allocation of a PIC, search the DAFWA website or contact our Brands office on +61 (0)8 9780 6207.

What is an EMP?An EMP is a working plan of the design and management of a horse property that is based on the property’s physical resources, the activities that are undertaken on the property, the owner’s goals and financial factors (e.g. the ability to resource infrastructure).

A well thought-out and workable EMP for a horse property has great potential benefits. It will help ensure:

• you achieve your personal goals for your horse property and lifestyle

• the natural resources on your property and the surrounding environment are well managed and protected

• the specific requirements of your LGA are met

• that your horses benefit from good pasture cover, shelter, and quality water and are healthy by avoiding mud, dust and other environmental factors.

Why is an EMP required?An EMP will usually be required by LGAs to fulfil a condition of development, rezoning and/or subdivision approval.

The keeping of horses is subject to the prior written approval of the LGA within the special rural zone.

As a general guide, the LGA will require the preparation of an EMP if you wish to keep horses

on your property in numbers that exceed the stocking rates outlined in the Special Scheme Provisions applicable to your land.

The sandy, free-draining soils of the Swan Coastal Plain, where many small equine landholders are concentrated, have a limited carrying capacity and are easily overstocked.

Overstocking results in the offsite export of nutrients, which are a major cause of algal blooms in our rivers, estuaries and wetlands.

Poor management may also result in other issues such as nuisance fly breeding and dust.

The preparation and implementation of an EMP is required to adequately manage the offsite impacts on the environment and public amenity.

What information do LGAs ask to be included in an EMP?As a guide, LGAs will require the following information to be addressed in an EMP.

Site description

The site description should include:

• site location and briefly describe the development proposal

• site plan incorporating cadastre, contours, aerial photography and soil mapping overlays

• current land use, including details of any existing nutrient and irrigation management measures implemented

• the extent of existing native vegetation and any native vegetation to be cleared as part of the proposal

• proposed areas for revegetation and indicate the species planting density and site preparation required.

Note - to clear native vegetation you first need to seek approval from the Department of Environment Regulation (DER).

Soils description

Include in your soil description:

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• details on the soil types present on the site

• phosphorus buffering index (PBI) for any areas proposed to receive irrigation and fertilisers

• details of soil amendment if part of the proposal.

Water resources description

Include descriptions of the following:

• wetlands, watercourses, natural drainage depressions, soaks and dams present on the site

• any land subject to seasonal inundation

• details of any current groundwater allocation license held for the site.

Nutrient management

Details on nutrient management should include:

• pasture species to be grown on the property

• fertiliser to be used

• management of manure wastes

• details on the proposed stable construction

• management of stable wash down water.

Irrigation

Irrigation details should include the:

• area to be irrigated and design of the irrigation system

• quantity, quality and availability of the water source

• irrigation scheduling to avoid run-off and leaching.

Dust

The EMP should also detail activities on the site that have potential to generate dust, and the appropriate dust suppression methods to be used.

Odour

The EMP should detail the proposed management of odours.

It is advised that you discuss your proposal in detail with the LGAs planning and environmental officers prior to preparing an EMP.

This will enable you to clearly identify the issues that relate specifically to your property.

The preparation of an EMP may be undertaken by an environmental consultant on your behalf or by yourself.

Regardless of who prepares the document, you will be required to implement the EMP and should therefore be familiar with the requirements.

An EMP can help you protect your property against degradation, ensure your horses remain healthy and allow you to enjoy your small patch of paradise.

For more informationNoteworthy 13 - Livestock ownership requirements for small landholders

Noteworthy 31 - Keeping horses on small properties

Department of Agriculture and Food’s Brands Office - brands@agric.wa.gov.au or +61 (0) 8 9780 6207

Department of Environment Regulation - der.wa.gov.au

Western Australian Horse Council (Inc) - wahorsecouncil.com.au

Horses, Land & Water - horseslandwater.com

Contact your local government authority

Contact detailsSmall Landholder Information Service (SLIS) agric.wa.gov.au/small_landholder +61 (0) 8 9733 7777 or +61 (0) 8 9780 6100

Important disclaimer The Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Agriculture and Food and the State of Western Australia accept no liability whatsoever by reason of negligence or otherwise arising from the use or release of this information or any part of it.

© Western Australian Agriculture Authority 2014

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