Young water science talent recognised
Third-year student Cady Burns has won the Waikato Regional Council Prize in Water Science for 2024.
Waikato Regional Council is taking Te Aroha piggery farm to court following an investigation into the discharge of effluent into a stream.
The prosecution has been taken under the Resource Management Act and comes because of an active investigation by the council into alleged ongoing, uncontrolled and unauthorised discharges to both land and water over the past six months.
It’s alleged the effluent entered the Patuwhao Stream which flows to the Waihou River, resulting in the council urging downstream landowners with surface water takes to exercise caution until the risk passed.
An interim Enforcement Order from the Environment Court, issued by Judge Melinda Dickey on Friday 4 August remains in place. It requires the piggery company to cease discharging a contaminant onto land in circumstances which may result in it entering water.
Regional compliance manager Patrick Lynch says staff have been carrying out regular inspections of the site.
“There has been some improvement,” he says. “The volume and frequency of the discharges has decreased, though there is still work to do and we will continue to monitor activities on the site.”
“It’s important we do not jeopardise the matter before the court, so we will not be able to provide any further detail at this time,” he adds.
OPINION: The recent Federated Farmers / Rabobank 2024 Farming Salaries Report revealed strong growth in farm salaries over the past two years.
The low unemployment environment is one of the key factors driving on-farm salaries higher over the past 24 months, says Rabobank general manager for country banking Bruce Weir.
Fonterra has appointed a new chief financial officer, seven months after its last CFO’s shock resignation.
A seminar on rural dispute resolution has been organised at Lincoln University, Christchurch this month.
The legacy of Dr Peter Snow continues to inspire as the recipients of the 2023 and 2024 Peter Snow Memorial Awards were announced at the recent National Rural Health Conference.
One of Fonterra’s global customers, Mars is launching an ambitious sustainable dairy plan to work with dairy farmers and cut emissions by 50%.