Cases of ‘dirty dairy’ offending drop to record level over past 12 months
Cases of ‘‘dirty dairying’’ offending have hit a record low in the past year, with well below the average number of infringements and convictions for effluent entering the nation’s waterways.
In the 2021/2022 year, there were three convictions for cases where dairy effluent entered rivers, streams, wetlands, or on to land where it could have entered waterways or groundwater.
Stuff has been collecting figures on the number of convictions since 2009/10. These figures represent the most serious offending.
Fines of $182,000 were imposed in the three cases in the latest year.
A further 156 abatement notices and 89 infringement notices were issued.
The number of abatement notices was below average (the annual average since 2009 is 322). The number of infringement notices was also well below the average of 245 and the number of successful prosecutions was well below the average of 22.
While the number of incidents was much improved, the year did include one of the worst cases of its kind – so bad, the Waikato Regional Council labelled it an ‘‘environmental disaster’’.
That was the case of Kenneth McIntyre and Cassandra Kidd and involved the repeated polluting of the Piako River near Morrinsville.
The pair had a contract with Open Country Dairy Ltd to dispose of up to 13 truck and trailer loads of dairy manufacturing by-product on their farm a day.
Effluent from their farm entered waterways and was likely to have resulted in nitrate and pathogenic organisms entering groundwater, authorities found.
McIntyre, who had a history of similar offending, was sentenced to five months’ home detention and fined $100,000. Kidd was convicted and discharged.
Federated Farmers dairy chairperson Richard McIntyre said there were various factors that explained the latest year’s improved figures. On the back of several profitable seasons in a row,