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OPEN COUNTRY Dairy Ltd has been fined more than $35,000 for discharging objectionable odour from its Waharoa factory at the time of last year's "spring flush" when milk supply was high.
Residents from the Waharoa community, near Matamata, complained to Waikato Regional Council that the odour was causing physical effects such as nausea, vomiting, and an inability to sleep.
The council received 45 complaints from local residents over 16 days in October and November last year.
The company told council investigators the odour was a result of infrastructure failures at the factory that saw larger than normal volumes of waste end up in the waste water treatment pond. The pond struggled to cope and the odour developed, with the situation taking some time to recover.
In a recent sentence released from the Hamilton District Court, Judge Melanie Harland commented that the effect on residents of the odour was "profound and continuous".
Yoghurt Story New Zealand Ltd and Frozen Yoghurt Ltd have been sentenced and fined in the Auckland District Court for misleading the public about the nature and characteristics of their frozen yoghurt products.
A Kumeu strawberry grower has been penalised $6000 after being caught a second time by a Labour Inspector.
A Canterbury dairy farm has been penalised for employment law breaches in what the Labour Inspectorate says "not uncommon" mistake in holiday entitlements.
A farm manager has been awarded reparations of $50,000 after a 2012 quad bike crash at work.
New Zealand's second largest dairy company is reporting increased activity from the market following the August 19 GlobalDairyTrade (GDT) auction.
Twenty rural community hubs across New Zealand will receive $5,000 to upgrade their facilities having been selected as the winners of Rabobank's Community Hub Competition.
As the dairy industry prepares to celebrate its top achievers at an awards night this Saturday, attendees are being warned to be aware of protests planned outside the venue – Baypark Arena, Mount Mauganaui.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (BLNZ) says the release of New Zealand's latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory clearly shows agriculture is playing its part in emissions reductions and there is no need for a price on agricultural emissions.
While opening the first electrode boiler at its Edendale site, Fonterra has announced a $70 million investment in two further new electrode boilers.
Fonterra says its ongoing legal battle with Australian processor Bega Cheese won’t change its divestment plans.
With an amendment to the Medicines Act proposing human medicines could be approved in 30 days if the product has approval from two recognised overseas jurisdictions, there’s a call for a similar approach where possible to be applied to some animal medicines.
