A Waikato share milker has been convicted, fined $40,000 and sentenced to 140 hours community work for unlawful discharges of dairy effluent into a tributary of the Puniu River, near Te Awamutu.

Daniel Warren Lund appeared last week before Judge Melinda Dickey in the Hamilton District Court facing five charges under the Resource Management Act as a result of a prosecution taken by Waikato Regional Council.

Mr Lund manages a family farm at Pokuru near Te Awamutu. In July and August 2022, council compliance officers conducted three inspections of the farm effluent system. During two inspections they found effluent storage ponds overflowing into a tributary of the Puniu River. On another occasion they found effluent ponding and runoff from an irrigator. An abatement notice that had been served on Mr Lund was also being breached.

In summing up her decision, Judge Dickey stated: “I find the defendant to be highly careless. There appears to have been insufficient attention paid to the infrastructure and management of effluent disposal.” She further stated that the operation of the system left much to be desired.

Waikato Regional Compliance Manager Patrick Lynch said the farm effluent ponds were inadequate and posed a real risk to the environment.

“Mr Lund displayed a lack of understanding of managing effluent effectively and safely on the property,” Mr Lynch said.

“Moving into the wetter and busier time of the year for farmers, this prosecution is a timely reminder to all farmers that there needs to be adequate effluent infrastructure and good effluent management systems on every farm.”

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