The dairy lobby is trying to tell us that farmers are cleaning up their act and polluting less. Meanwhile, a Waikato farmer has been convicted for the second time of pouring his cowshit into the local river:
A south Waikato dairy farming company has been fined for the second time in four years for unlawfully discharging dairy effluent into the environment.
Fernaig Farms (2006) Limited was convicted and fined $33,750 for their activities at their Lichfield property.
The fine was imposed in the Rotorua District Court last week by Judge CJ Thompson following a prosecution taken by Waikato Regional Council under the Resource Management Act.
The company owns a number of farms within the Waikato region, including four dairy farms.
A prosecution in 2013 also resulted in convictions and a fine of $30,000 for effluent mismanagement on their Mangakino property.
This farmer is a repeat offender, and its clear that they haven't learned from their first prosecution. And if it happens again, the court should ban them from farming. We do this for those who mistreat animals. Shouldn't we also do it for those who mistreat our environment?
