Seven oppose meat company consent

South Pacific Meats wants to discharge effluent sludge at farm land near Oreti Plains in central Southland.

It has applied to Environment Southland for permits to discharge meatworks effluent sludge to land, and for the associated emission of contaminants to air, and a hearing was held on Monday morning. The application was limited notified on July 4 last year, and seven submissions opposing the consent were received from neighbouring landowners.

South Pacific Meats manager Kevin Hamilton, in a statement of evidence, says the company has two options when dealing with the sludge – it can dump it to landfill or find beneficial-use options. The beneficial-use option involves putting the sludge into productive soil/plant systems.

The company has consent to spread sludge at four other properties in Southland.

Lowe Environmental Impact environmental scientist Hamish Lowe, on behalf of South Pacific Meats, said if the consent was granted, the discharges would occur at three farm properties at Oreti Plains, where the sludge would be applied to land from a spreading wagon, using a lowpressure spray system, from October to March.

Liquid effluent from the South Pacific Meats plant is treated via a pond system. There is an ongoing and recurring requirement to remove about 4000m3 a year.

Those opposed to the application cited issues including air quality, odour, effects on groundwater sources of drinking water and nitrate concentrations, concern about discharge relative to open drains, the transmission of Mycoplasma bovis from the application of sludge, spray drift, previous environmental performance of the land owner, the length of the consent term and impacts on amenity values because of traffic, noise and odour pollution.

The statement of evidence says the risk of M bovis contamination from the application of sludge is extremely low and South Pacific Meats processes predominantly sheep: the bobby calves it does receive are not from affected farms.

Environment Southland said it might be several weeks before the outcome was known.