The comment followed yesterday’s announcement Lloyd McCallum had temporarily stood down from his role on the council’s regulatory committee, after a complaint laid about cows by a river on his property.
The Winton-based neighbour said he knew where Cr McCallum farmed and was confident the river on his property was fenced-off.
‘‘There’s no way his cows would be down by the river, it’s completely fenced.’’
He said it was likely the complaint had been completely blown out of proportion, as Cr McCallum was ‘‘good man’’ who was ‘‘very aware’’ of what good farming practices were.
In a statement, Cr McCallum said he was made aware of the complaint last Friday.
‘‘I will be making no further comment on the matter while the investigation is under way.’’
An Environment Southland spokeswoman said the council was unable to comment on the specifics of the complaint while it was under investigation.
Cr McCallum was elected to the ES council in 2013, before going on to be elected as deputy chair in 2016 and again in 2019.
In 2017, he was on the panel for Southland’s Water and Land Plan hearings.
He has previously spoken out against poor farming practices.
