Dry weather classification expands to North Island
The dry weather in some parts of the North Island has received medium-scale adverse event classification from the Government.
A court order has been made against a Waikato pig farmer, limiting his involvement in the industry.
Last month, Kenneth McIntyre and his employer, Kaimai Pork Ltd, were convicted and fined $128,750 – a record for environmental offending in Waikato.
And the Environment Court has now issued an enforcement order prohibiting McIntyre from managing animal effluent, managing animal numbers and making financial decisions.
The order follows McIntyre’s fourth prosecution for piggery-related offences against the Resource Management Act. They were brought against him and Kaimai Pork by the Waikato Regional Council and related to the operation of a recently established commercial piggery near Te Aroha.
McIntyre was one of the company directors and responsible for management of the site, including effluent disposal. The piggery began operating with excessive stock numbers and without appropriate infrastructure, resulting in unlawful discharges of effluent to the environment. Despite a council direction to stop, the unlawful discharges continued.
McIntyre’s history of environmental offending dates back to 2006. Council records indicate he has had ten formal warnings, three infringement notices, five abatement notices and has had three prosecutions.
“We had little choice but to put Mr McIntyre back in front of the court over the most recent offending,” said council investigations manager Patrick Lynch.
“Over the years the council has used every tool available to encourage positive behavior change, but this has not worked. This fine, and the court order, is a clear message to Mr McIntyre to change his ways.”
Bankers have been making record profits in the last few years, but those aren’t the only records they’ve been breaking, says Federated Farmers vice president Richard McIntyre.
The 2023-24 season has been a roller coaster ride for Waikato dairy farmers, according to Federated Farmers dairy section chair, Mathew Zonderop.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) director general Ray Smith says job cuts announced this morning will not impact the way the Ministry is organised or merge business units.
Scales Corporation is acquiring a number of orchard assets from Bostock Group.
Family and solidarity shone through at the 75 years of Ferdon sale in Otorohanga last month.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has informed staff it will cut 391 jobs following a consultation period.
OPINION: This old mutt well remembers the wailing, whining and gnashing of teeth by former West Coast MP and Labour…
OPINION: Your canine crusader gets a little fed up with the some in media, union hacks, opposition politicians and hard-core…