An Eastern Bay of Plenty dairy farm and its manager, Alexander Paul Atkinson, are fined more than $50,000 for allowing effluent to discharge onto land where it may enter water.
Glenholme Farms Limited and the 59-year-old, who is also a company director, appeared in the Tauranga District Court for sentencing on Wednesday.
They were found guilty of the offence in November for when the farm's travelling irrigator stalled, resulting in effluent ponding in a paddock.
This in turn flowed to a watercourse that enters the Nukuhou River and then goes into Ohiwa Harbour.
At sentencing, Glenholme Farms was fined $36,000 plus costs, and Atkinson was fined $17,000 plus costs.
Glenholme Farms and Atkinson also have enforcement orders imposed on them.
These require a fail-safe device to be fitted to the irrigator and an effluent management plan submitted for Bay of Plenty Regional Council approval by February 2012.
Bay of Plenty Regional Council pollution prevention manager Nick Zaman says this sentencing is a reminder that the community does not tolerate disregard for the protection of the environment.
'In this case, reasonable steps could have been taken to avoid ponding and overland flow of farm effluent to a watercourse.
'Ensuring this does not happen is critical to good farming practices.
'The vast majority of farmers comply with regulations and have a well-managed effluent system, but the small minority of farmers who do not take their responsibilities seriously enough need to understand there will be consequences.
'The ‘she'll be right' attitude just isn't going to work with large herd sizes and complex disposal systems.
'Effluent management must be a higher priority than it currently seems to be for some operators.”
5 comments
TCC gets off light ..
Posted on 15-12-2011 11:26 | By Murray.Guy
On a regular basis in 'Sunlife' we read that TCC has varying amounts of effluent discharging over land, into water courses and the inner harbour following a pump failure, blockages and all manner of often (not always) avoidable impacts. Bay of Plenty Regional Council pollution prevention manager Nick Zaman seems somewhat selective when he says, "... the community does not tolerate disregard for the protection of the environment." The offender had equipment failure, just as Council does!
Council dirty too...
Posted on 15-12-2011 11:56 | By the_fourth_estate
Under RMA loopholes all local and regional bodies are exempt from this because it is deemed too expensive to force the upgrade of sewerage systems and other infrastrucure so we're left in the annoying position of piecemeal upgrades of a system that was basically designed to pollute the environment - yet the smaller end of the private sector gets hammered unless of course you're a big player in which case you can get an exemption to pollute too. Just look at Kinleith Pulp and Paper mill and how it makes the Waikato river green and brown. Its not the dairy farmers doing that its the lignin from the pulping process being legally dumped in the river, 100% legit pollution. I shake my head and wonder why.
Selective
Posted on 15-12-2011 15:19 | By Pragmatic
.
Rena Pollution
Posted on 15-12-2011 15:30 | By Pragmatic
It's no wonder EBOP changed it's name to Regional Council - it obviously has problems looking after the environment. Interesting they fined a farmer $50,000 for what used to be classed as unfortunate machinery breakdown. The question must be asked if a farmer is fined $50,000 how much will Regional Council be claiming from the owners of Rena for possibly the worst pollution in New Zealands history? With a bit of luck it will be Millions and will reduce the outrageous regional council rates we pay.
Posted on 15-12-2011 18:13 | By whatsinaname
the law is an ass........ one rule for tcc and another for the farmer
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