increase font size
A council officer finds a stream is a bit deeper than thought, when sampling for effluent.
Two farmers and two farming companies were recently convicted and fined a total of $108,000 for environmental offending.
The conviction follows three separate prosecutions taken by Waikato Regional Council under the Resource Management Act (RMA).
Stella Farming Ltd, LTB Farms Ltd, Scott Blundell and Michael Davidson all faced charges relating to unlawful discharges of dairy effluent through improper use of irrigators.
They were fined $44,000, $26,000, $2,000 and $36,000 respectively by Judge Jeff Smith in the Huntly District Court on 1 December.
Blundell, an employee of LTB Farms, was also sentenced to 100 hours community service.
Stella Farming Ltd faced an additional charge for failing to exclude stock from a waterway.
All the breaches occurred between March and August 2024 in the wider Te Awamutu area.
Waikato Regional Compliance Manager, Patrick Lynch says that effluent irrigation is critical to dairy farm management but when done improperly, it can cause negative impacts on waterways.
"All farmers have a responsibility to ensure their systems are fit for purpose and operated correctly," Lynch says.
Waikato Regional Council says it remains committed to ensuring compliance with environmental regulations and protecting the region’s waterways and land from harmful discharges.
A Hawke's Bay farmer has been sentenced to seven-and-a-half-months' home detention and disqualified from being in charge of or owning sheep and cattle for 12 months for serious animal welfare offending.
OPINION: Reckless action by Greenpeace in 2024 forced Fonterra to shut down a drying plant for four hours, costing the co-op about $300,000.
A Rangitikei farmer has been indefinitely banned from owning animals and sentenced to serve 9 months and 3 weeks’ home detention following animal welfare failures that caused the death of more than 140 animals.
Tararua district farmer Jamie Harris milks around 400 cows using a split calving system on his farm, Crossdale Dairies.
Water management is an integral component of sustainable farming practices, according to Watermetrics.
Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) and Federated Farmers say they welcome the announcement last week that the Government will increase the conveyance allowance by 30%.
New Zealand and India have signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) described as a once-in-a-generation deal.
What’s been a "rubbish" summer for campers and beachgoers has duck hunters in the lower North Island rubbing their hands together in anticipation of a bumper waterfowl season, which starts this weekend (May 2/3).
New research suggests sheep and beef farmers could improve both profitability and emissions efficiency by increasing lamb weaning weights, with only marginal changes in total greenhouse gas emissions.
Southland farmers are being encouraged to get ahead of the winter grazing season by attending a practical field day in Pukerau next week.
A large crowd turned out for the last of the field days of the three finalists in this years Ahuwhenua Trophy to determine the top Maori horticulture entity in Aotearoa New Zealand
OPINION: When Donald Trump returned to the White House, many people with half a brain could see the results for…
OPINION: Media trust has tanked because of what media's more woke members do and say.
