Tuesday, 08 August 2023 12:25

Piggery effluent polluting stream

Written by  Staff Reporters
Video footage from 2 August shows effluent discharge on the site. Credit: Waikato Regional Council Video footage from 2 August shows effluent discharge on the site. Credit: Waikato Regional Council

Waikato Regional Council has sought an interim Enforcement Order from the Environment Court to stop piggery effluent from entering a waterway north of Te Aroha.

It marks the first occasion the council has applied for such an order.

The application was sought and granted last week (4 August) by Judge Melinda Dickey as a result of alleged ongoing, uncontrolled and unauthorised discharges to both land and water.

The order requires the piggery company to cease discharging a contaminant onto land in circumstances which may result in it entering water.

To be able to comply with the order, the company will be required to explore options of reducing stock numbers or otherwise reducing the level of effluent currently stored and explore lawful options for relocating pig effluent offsite.

Since seeking the order, Waikato Regional Council has subsequently responded to a further significant discharge of effluent reported yesterday (7 August) morning.

Landowners have been warned that piggery effluent has entered the Patuwhao Stream which flows to the Waihou River.

“There will be faecal bacteria, ammonia and high nutrients from the piggery effluent in the water, so we’re urging landowners taking surface water downstream from this site to exercise caution until the risk has passed,” says Waikato Regional Council regional compliance manager Patrick Lynch.

Lynch says that applying to the Environment Court for an interim Enforcement Order is unprecedented in the Waikato region, but the Council views the ongoing discharges as an emergency.

“They are having an extreme impact on the environment and community, which we feel necessitates such action under the Resource Management Act,” he says.

More like this

Get the odour in order

Odour from farm dairy effluent is increasingly an issue as herd sizes grow and urban boundaries get closer to operating farms.

Featured

State farmer opens pathway to ownership for more Kiwis

In a landmark move, the state-owned farmer Pāmu (Landcorp) is making four of its 44 dairy farms available for people wishing to take up various contracts including herd-owning, share milking, variable order share milking and contract milking.

Coming to a beach near you!

The popular Surfing for Farmers programme, which gives farmers a well-earned break from life on the farm, starts its eighth season from November 5.

MilkHub sold

Milk vat manufacturer DTS is selling its dairy automation business to MilktechNZ.

National

Machinery & Products

Landpower increases its offering

Landpower and the Claas Harvest Centre network will launch the Claas Scorpion and Torion material handling solutions to the market…

New F5 balers from McHale

Irish grassland machinery manufacturer McHale has unveiled the new four-model range of F5 fixed chamber balers.

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

'Mea culpa'

OPINION: The Reserve Bank’s rate cut is great news, albeit a bit late, but your old mate agrees with Act…

Fast tracked

OPINION: While the Government’s Fast Track bill is copping it from all the usual suspects – opposition parties, greenies, unions…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter