Four North Otago dairy farms and their employees were fined a total of almost $300,000 in the Oamaru District Court yesterday, after illegally discharging dairy effluent in separate incidents last year.
Three dairy companies in the Waiareka Valley and one on the Waitaki Plains, along with three employees and two company directors, appeared before Alternate Environment Court Judge Paul Kellar on a total of 23 charges, all relating to dairy-effluent discharges on to land, some of which reached streams or creeks.
The fines totalled $296,000, with the Otago Regional Council to be paid 90% of those and the Crown 10%.
Defendants also faced additional charges for court costs, solicitors' fees, disbursements and analysts' fees.
Three other dairy farms - at Glenavy, Papakaio and Flag Swamp - and their employees face similar charges in court today.
Yesterday, Crichton Dairy Farms Ltd, who has a farm in the Waiareka Valley's Cowans Rd, and its farm manager-equity share-milker Geoffrey Laurie Norris (42) were fined a total of $134,000 on three charges each.
Crichton Dairy Farms was fined $25,000 for each charge of discharging dairy effluent on to production land causing ponding on or about October 14, 2009, and discharging dairy effluent on to land from an effluent hose and travelling irrigator which may have resulted in it entering and unnamed stream and Friston Stream on or about October 19, 2009.
It was fined $44,000 for discharging effluent sludge from a stone trap and sump on to land which may have resulted in it entering water in October last year.
In addition, it has to pay $2326.50 in solicitor's fees, court costs and an analyst fee.
Norris was fined $11,000 on each charge of discharging dairy effluent on to production land causing ponding on or about October 14, 2009, and discharging dairy effluent on to land from an effluent hose and travelling irrigator which may have resulted in it entering an unnamed stream and Friston Stream on or about October 19.
He was also fined $18,000 for discharging effluent sludge from a stone trap and sump on to land which may have resulted in it entering water on or about October 19.
He was ordered to pay a total of $729 court costs and solicitor's fees.
An infringement notice was issued in 2008 and the farm was prosecuted in court last year for a similar offence.
Summit Dairying Ltd company directors Braden David De La Rue (22) and Steven Murray Smit (22), each admitted charges of discharging dairy effluent on to land that might result in it entering the Waikoura-Henderson diversion on October 29-30; discharging dairy effluent collected in an animal waste collection system, causing ponding on production land on October 12-13; and discharging animal waste, causing ponding on production land on September 29-30.
Summit Dairy Farms was fined a total of $52,000, court costs $390, solicitor's fees $339, disbursements $676.79 and analyst's fee $998.44.
De La Rue and Smith were each fined a total of $11,500, court costs $390 and solicitor's fees $339.
Waiareka Valley Dairy Farm Ltd and its farm manager, Gareth John Warren (46), admitted on or about October 27, 2009, discharging, by allowing to escape, dairy effluent into an unnamed tributary of the Waiareka Creek and into the creek.
The company was fined $40,000, solicitor's costs $113, disbursements of $124.72 and analyst fee of $1064.48.
Warren was fined $20,000, solicitor's costs $113.
They were convicted and discharged for discharging dairy effluent from a sump in circumstances it could have entered water on or about October 27.
Burnside Dairy Farms 2006 Ltdadmitted discharging dairy effluent on or about October 7, 2009, which could have entered Friston Stream.
It was fined $27,000, solicitor's costs $113.
Burnside also admitted discharging dairy effluent in contravention of the Otago Regional Plan: Water, and was convicted and discharged.
Herd manager Jeremy Dean Keane (23) admitted the same charge. and was sentenced to 100 hours' community work, with an additional 60 hours for $3554 in unpaid fines.
For discharging dairy effluent on or about October 7, 2009, which could have entered Friston Stream, he was convicted and discharged.
