A farming company, Trinity Lands Limited, operating 20 farms in south Waikato has been convicted in the Tokoroa District Court on January 16 for polluting a Waikato trout stream and fined $46,900.
Six others also were fined in a succession of prosecutions taken by Waikato Regional Council.
Seven separate Waikato farmers and businesses across Waikato have been convicted for unlawfully discharging effluent.
In all the prosecutions saw the offenders fined $318,025 in total.
In the most recent case, green waterfalls of effluent were seen flowing into Pokaiwhenua Stream, a tributary of the Waikato river noted for trout fishing and glowworm viewing, in South Waikato. The farming company responsible, Trinity Lands Limited, operate 20 farms in south Waikato.
It was convicted for over applying effluent at a farm in Tirau in October 2019.
Judge Melinda Dickey convicted the company in Tokoroa District Court on January 18, and fined it $46,9000.
The council was alerted to the incident by a member of the public.
The highest fine was given to Taupo dairy farmer John Richard Lockwood, who was fined $80,000 for over applying effluent three times – in September and October 2019 and August 2020.
Council regional compliance manager Patrick Lynch said there were still some in farming not taking their environmental obligations “seriously”.
When is Adern and Parker and O’Connor going to shift out of neutral and into first gear to honour their 2017 promise to sort out the river criss? First step get control of the corporate dairying sector or are the corporates donating to political parties like with fisheries?
I used to fish the Pokaiwhenua many years ago. It was a lovely stream that held good numbers of Rainbows, some quite sizable. I have heard that it is no longer a notable fishery, because of its polluted state.
It’s pollution by Trinity Lands Limited isn’t the only travesty here. The paltry fine handed down for the offense will do nothing to deter a corporation operating 20 farms in the south Waikato. It is simply a license to carry on polluting.
Love the cartoon. As trout steams were polluted F & G should be asking for a percentage of the fines. The arrogance of those who feel that doing what they like to OUR country, in the name of personal gain, continues to amaze!
Tim Neville
Apologies to Hawkeye
The unabashed arrogance of these farmers who feel they have the right to pollute the nation’s streams, rivers and lakes to the detriment of everyone and all life ‘downstream’ never ceases to astound me.
How would they feel if someone dumped a truckload of toxic garbage on their home driveways?
Fines should be much higher for these multi-million dollar farming corporates with offending CEOs being required to spend a good amount of time in community service helping to clean up the affected waterways.
I am also highly unimpressed with the seeming lack of interest and total inaction by this Labour led Government which seems oblivious of the serious crises facing our nation’s freshwater resources.
Makes a mockery of the claims that ‘farmers are doing their bit’ and ‘stop picking on the farmers’ – it shows there is still a very long way to go unfortunately
Like the big forestry companies they pay the measly fine out of petty cash and continue to pollute.