Farmers claim EW double standards

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Environment Waikato is being accused of double standards after prosecuting farmers for dirty dairying while turning a blind eye to ongoing breaches at Waitomo District Council's sewage treatment plant.

In a column in the Waikato Times farming pages today, Federated Farmers dairy section chairman Lachlan McKenzie writes of a major double standard at play following the prosecution of Piopio dairy farmer Ben Watson, who was sentenced to attend a series of effluent management field days after pleading guilty to four breaches.

"The sense of irony is that we have so-called dirty dairying but our towns and cities are getting away with environmental vandalism," Mr McKenzie said.

"What galls most are the excuses the Waitomo District offers up. They include `significant staff changes', `configuration' issues with plant and being committed to a major upgrade to meet `short-term priorities' and a long-term upgrade to meet the demands of any new consent. If any farmer tried these arguments in the Environment Court, they'd be laughed out of the dock."

Environment Waikato's resource use group manager, Chris McLay, denied double standards. "The expectations of compliance with consents or rules are the same for all resource users," he said. The council, which issued warnings to farmers before it prosecuted, tried hard to work with offenders when problems were identified.

Chief executive Chris Ryan said Waitomo District Council had been working with the regional council and had started a $10.5 million plant upgrade which would solve the problem.

- © Fairfax NZ News