MEDIA RELEASE

June 14, 2012

Otago dairy farmers getting the message on compliance

Otago Regional Council chairman Stephen Woodhead says a drop in the number of Otago dairy farms being prosecuted for breaches of permitted activity rules reflects greater awareness of ORC’s enforcement regime.

ORC’s permitted activity rules in relation to water quality would determine good environmental outcomes, provided farmers adhered to a few pragmatic on-farm practices and disciplines, Cr Woodhead said.

“Given the flexible permitted activity regime we have in place there’s no room for farmers to flaunt the rules and pollute waterways. Recent inspections show the majority of them are getting on with things in a responsible manner.”

During the inspections, a total of 409 dairy farms were milking during the 2011-12 season. Of these, 386 farms (or 94.4%) of farms were compliant with the Otago Water Plan rules.

A total of 23 dairy farms (5.6%) were found to have committed breaches for discharges likely to harm the environment. Of these 23, eight farms were found to be seriously non-compliant.

These breaches resulted in ORC initiating 10 prosecutions and issuing seven infringement notices.

Mr Woodhead said the drop in prosecutions could partly be attributed to the prosecution of 46 dairy farms in 2007/08 and 2008/09 seasons, which had brought about more awareness in the dairy industry of the need to comply and the potential consequences of failing to do so.

Compliance staff had also noted that on some farms, effluent management infrastructure had been substantially upgraded. This included the installation of effluent storage systems, gatorbuddies (electronic sensor systems which activate in the event of irrigator failure, such as a hose disconnecting from a travelling irrigator) and upgrades to K-line or centre pivot irrigation systems.

“This is very pleasing to see,” Mr Woodhead said.

Of the 389 dairy farms inspected in 2010/11, 355 (91.2%) were compliant and 27 (6.9%) were classified as non-compliant with minor breaches of the permitted activity rules found.

Seven farms (1.9 percent) were classified as having the potential to have more than minor non-compliance with the permitted activity rules. Four infringement fines were issued as a result of non-compliance. Eleven prosecution actions were taken (six as a result of complaint investigation that were not part of the routine dairy inspections).

Mr Woodhead said ORC would not relax its stringent enforcement regime, even though it was heartening to see a decline in the number of breaches.

“We want dairy farmers to be complying all year round, not just on inspection day,” he said.

For more information contact

Stephen Woodhead
Chairman
ORC
Ph 027 2801635

Jeff Donaldson
Director regional services
Ph (03) 4740827 or 0274 357162

ORC annual dairy farms inspection 2011/12

Q. How many dairy farms are currently operating in the Otago region?

A. 409.

Q. When were the inspections carried out?

A..The 2011/2012 dairy inspections and any follow-up visits were carried out between September last year and April this year by ORC environmental services staff warranted under the Resource Management Act.

Q. How long has ORC been carrying out these inspections?

A. The inspections date back to 2001. They are in addition to investigations ORC environmental services staff routinely conduct of any complaints received about discharges from farms.

Q. Why are the inspections necessary?

A. They determine whether dairy farms are meeting the permitted activity rules in the Otago Water Plan for discharge of effluent to land, or onto land in groundwater protection zones. Dairy effluent discharges, when managed poorly, have the potential to adversely affect water quality.

Q. What do the inspections involve?

ORC staff walk around the farm to make sure activities and infrastructure (such as irrigation systems) comply with the permitted activity rules. Staff will also pose a series of questions to the farm owner, manager, or sharemilker.

Any identified breaches are noted, with photographic evidence taken of any serious ponding or discharges to water. If there is evidence of discharge to water, water samples will be taken for laboratory analysis of faecal coliforms and nutrients. Where problems have been identified, a follow-up visit is arranged with the farmer to ensure that remedial measures have been put in place. Where non-compliance is identified, ORC’s enforcement decision group determines whether an infringement notice should be issued or a prosecution initiated.

Q. What do the permitted activity rules stipulate?

A. Any collection or storage system must be sealed so as to prevent any contamination of water in any water body, drain, or water race. Discharges must be more than 50 metres from any surface water body or mean high water springs; and more than 50 metres from any bore used to supply water for domestic purposes, or drinking water for livestock. Discharges must not occur on saturated soils, and there must be no direct discharge of animal waste to water in any drain or water race, or to groundwater. Effluent from discharges must not run onto any other person’s property, and ponding of animal waste from the discharge must not occur. Discharges must not cause flooding of any other person’s property, erosion, land instability, sedimentation, or property damage. Finally, the nitrogen loading due to the discharge must not exceed 150kg per hectare per year (75 kg per hectare per year in a groundwater protection zone).

Prosecutions for 2011/2012 by area
Location Offence
Clutha Discharge of contaminants to land may enter water
Clutha Discharge of contaminants to land may enter water
South-west Otago Ponding
South-west Otago Ponding discharge contaminants to land that may enter water
South-west Otago Ponding discharge contaminants to land that may enter water
South-west Otago Ponding discharge contaminants to land that may enter water
South-west Otago Ponding discharge contaminants to land that may enter water
South-west Otago Discharge contaminants to land that may enter water
South-west Otago Ponding discharge contaminants to land that may enter water
North Otago Ponding discharge contaminants to land that may enter water

Enforcement Actions Since 2003
Year Infringements Prosecutions
2003/04 13 1
2004/05 5 1
2005/06 2
2006/07 5
2007/08 18 25
2008/09 4 21
2009/10 1 11
2010/11 4 5
2011/12 7 10
ends

© Scoop Media