NFD Glossary

This glossary may assist in understanding technical terms used in NFD.

Amenity: The comfortable enjoyment of life and property, particularly regarding visual appearance, odour, dust, noise and lighting.

Arterial Road: A major road, highway or freeway - usually labelled with a route number. Managed by VicRoads or management delegated to local shire by VicRoads. On planning maps usually notes as Category 1 road.

Buffer Distance: A distance between the feedpad complex and surrounding environmental features (e.g. waterway, surface or ground waters, significant native vegetation).

Building Permit: Formal approval of building plans usually by local shire. Ensures that planned development meets current building safety codes and regulations.

Capital Cost: One off investment cost - in this case, the costs associated with construction of a feed pad and the purchase of any associated equipment.

Caveat: A caveat is a note on the Title indicating that a third-party claims rights over the property, for example, a mortgagee.

Certificate of Title: A Certificate of Title shows the date the certificate was created, the legal details of the land, the ownership details and any relevant caveats, covenants, Section 173 Agreements and easements.

Community Amenity: Areas that are used by the community and may be affected by effluent management.

Controlled Drainage Area: A controlled drainage area is a self-contained catchment surrounding the feed pad complex. It is typically established using:

• a series of diversion banks or drains placed immediately upslope of the feed pad complex, which are designed to divert ‘clean’ upslope runoff around the feed pad complex.
• a series of catch drains to capture runoff from the feed pad and all other surfaces within the feed pad complex, and ultimately convey that runoff to a holding pond.

Council Road: A road managed by local shire, includes Category 2 or Any Other Roads.

Covenant: A covenant is a private written agreement between the seller and purchaser restricting what the land can be used for, for example, limiting development to construction of a single dwelling or controlling the types of materials that can be used for new buildings or fences.

Earthworks Permit: Formal approval of excavating or filling works.

Easement: An easement is a right held by someone else to use the land, for example, an Urban Water Authority's sewerage pipe.

Emergency Feeding: Emergency feeding means providing feed to animals when an emergency event such as a flood, bushfire or biosecurity event restricts or prevents the animals from grazing, browsing or foraging plants growing on the land.

Feed Alley: The alleys occupied by cattle when they are accessing feed. These alleys are located parallel to the feeding table.

Feeding Table: Where feed is placed for cattle on a feedpad (e.g. in troughs, on concrete alleys, on the ground).

Feedpad:

1. A feedpad is defined as that part of a farm that is used for regular supplementary feeding of cattle on an area of land that is either formed, surfaced or stocked at a rate that precludes vegetation. It is generally a confined area in which feed and / or water are provided.
2. Cattle are held and fed for all or part of the year for the purpose of production and / or growth of young cattle, and for protection from adverse environmental impacts such as wet or cold.

Feedlot Works Area: See Works Area

Flexible Feeding System: A Feeding system that allows feeding on a feed pad as well as in paddocks. Useful in drought or wet conditions.

Geosythentic Material: A thin flexible and permeable sheet of synthetic material used to stabilise soils.

Holding Pond: A series of diversion banks or drains placed immediately up slope of the feedpad complex, which are designed to divert ‘clean’ up slope runoff around the feedpad complex.

Leeching Process: Where soluble nutrients (e.g. nitrogen) are carried by water down through the soil profile.

Levee Bank: An earthen bank designed to confine or direct liquids and solids to or away from designated areas.

Loafing Area: The loafing area is a formed surface adjacent to the feedpad complex, or alleys on the feedpad. Its primary purpose is to provide a separate section away from the feeding table for cattle to stand, lie, ruminate or idle.

Native Vegetation: Native vegetation is defined in the Victoria Planning Provisions as ‘plants that are indigenous to Victoria, including trees, shrubs, herbs and grasses.’

Nib Wall: A small concrete wall constructed along the perimeter of alleys to prevent manure from leaving the feedpad and / or entering the feeding table.

Parcel: A land parcel is an individual piece of land for which a land title has been issued.

Partial Budget: A partial budget is used to calculate the effect on profits of a proposed change in a portion of the operation. It includes only the costs and returns that change as a result of the proposed change in the operation. Because only a portion of the costs and returns are included, the partial budget only provides an estimate of the profitability of an alternative relative to current operations. It does not provide an estimate of the absolute profitability.

Referral Authority: Another authority that the responsible authority consults for advice on a permit application.

Responsible Authority: The body that administers and enforces the planning scheme. It is usually the local council, unless specified otherwise in the Victoria Planning Provisions or planning scheme.

Seasonal Feeding: Seasonal feeding means providing feed to animals when seasonal conditions, such as over winter or during drought, restrict or prevent the animals from grazing, browsing or foraging plants growing on the land.

Section 173 Agreement: A Section 173 Agreement is a written agreement between Council and the landowner to set out particular conditions or restrictions on the way the land is used or developed, or to achieve other planning objectives in relation to the land. A Section 173 Agreement is a legal contract registered on the Certificate of Title and can be enforced in the same way as a permit condition or the planning scheme.

Sensitive receptors: Sensitive receptors include accommodation, hospitals, schools, day-care facilities, aged care facilities and convalescent facilities.

Separation distance:

1. The distance separating a possible source of an emission (e.g. dust, odour or noise) from potential sensitive receptors, such as nearby houses. Maintaining an appropriate separation distance is a key tool to minimise the risk of odour and dust adversely impacting on surrounding neighbours and community.
2. Separation distances are measured from the nearest physical part of the feedpad complex (not including the manure and recycled effluent reuse areas) to the nearest point of the prospective receptor (e.g. sensitive use).

Side Slope: The slope in the feed alley that directs manure and runoff away from the feeding table. The slope direction runs perpendicular to the feeding table. This is usually only associated with earthen feedpads.

Stand Off: A type of loafing area (refer to loafing area definition).

Stockpile: An area where manure, feed wastage or used bedding is stored before being applied to crops or pastures. Carcasses may also be composted in the same area.

Title: A land title is an official record of who owns a piece of land. It can also include information about mortgages, covenants, caveats and easements affecting the land.

Victoria Planning Provisions: The Victoria Planning Provisions (VPP) is a document containing a comprehensive set of planning provisions for Victoria. It is not a planning scheme and does not apply to any land but it is a State wide reference, used as required, to construct planning schemes.

Water, waterbody, waterway: Includes any reservoir, tank, billabong, anabranch, canal, spring, swamp, natural or artificial channel, ephemeral watercourse, lake, lagoon, waterway, dam, tidal water, coastal water or groundwater.

Works Area (feedlot works area): The Victorian Code for Cattle Feedlots - August 1995 defines the feedlot works area as the area of the site which contains the pens, feed storage and handling facilities, drainage system, wastes collection system, waste settlement area, stockpiling and stock handling areas.