A Waihi dairy farmer has been convicted and fined $39,000 for the unlawful discharge of dairy effluent following a prosecution by Waikato Regional Council.
Council compliance officers inspected Keith Torrens' farm in October 2023, having issued him with an abatement notice earlier that year for breaching dairy effluent rules.
During the inspection, they found two unlawful discharges into the environment, one from the dairy shed and one as a result of overirrigation. Both discharges posed a significant risk to contaminating groundwater.
The defendant provided very limited storage capacity on the farm, meaning effluent irrigation was likely when weather and soil conditions were unsuitable.
The fine was imposed by Judge Sheena Tepania in the Tauranga District Court after Torrens pleaded guilty to a charge under the Resource Management Act.
In sentencing, Judge Tepania described the offending as careless, noting that Torrens had an ongoing responsibility to provide efficient and effective infrastructure.
"As he had purchased a bladder, it makes no sense to the Court that he would not install it," she said.
Waikato Regional Council Compliance Manager Patrick Lynch said it was important for farm owners to provide adequate infrastructure and ensure good management practices.
"Dairy effluent systems need to be fit for purpose, robust and carefully managed to avoid environmental harm.
"In this case, Mr Torrens had purchased an effluent storage bladder some years earlier, but had never installed it, despite the issuing of an abatement notice and formal warning for previous environmental breaches," Lynch said.
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