Do you have environmental authorisation to farm?

Farming’s impact on the environment is not usually front of mind when buying a piece of land, but without securing environmental authorisation, farmers could find themselves in a world of trouble. Lindi Botha speaks to Ngwanarachuene Mampane, director of Westleigh Environmental Services, about remaining on the right side of the law, how to apply for authorisation and the time frame involved.

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Any large-scale undertaking of food production is bound to have an impact on the environment, and while it can't be avoided for the sake of food security, how and where the food production takes place, and how the farmer manages the land, need to be carefully considered.

Whether you have just bought a piece of land or want to develop your farm further, you will need to conduct an environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to receive legal authorisation to continue with your plans. The EIA will determine if the farming activities will have a detrimental effect on the environment, to what extent, and if you can go ahead with your farming plans at all.

The National Environmental Management Act (NEMA), No. 107 of 1998, stipulates which activities are deemed harmful, and can include farming in wetlands, close to protected water sources, in areas where scarce species are listed, or where the current biodiversity status must be maintained. Farmers can unfortunately not undertake the EIA by themselves but need to contract an environmental assessment practitioner (EAP) to do the job.

THE RIGHT EXPERTISE

Contracting the right service provider is an important step in getting a farm's affairs in order since not having the right authorizations in place can lead to big financial implications in future.

An EIA can only be conducted by a qualified and independent EAP who is registered with the Environmental Assessment Practitioners' Association of South Africa (EAPASA). This is a NEMA EIA professional practice regulatory body in South Africa.