Timaru dairy effluent compliance improves in latest season

Seventy-seven per cent of dairy farms in the Orari-Opihi-Pareora zone achieved full compliance with dairy shed effluent consent conditions in the latest season - above the Canterbury average of 70%. Dairy shed effluent must be managed in accordance with resource consent conditions or permitted activity rules.

In terms of significant non-compliance, the Orari-Opihi-Pareora zone was at 9.9%, against 8.6% for the whole of Canterbury. 13% of farms in the Orari-Opihi-Pareora zone recorded minor non-compliance.

There are 132 farms - or 13.5% of the regional total - with resource consents or permitted activities for dairying in the Orari-Opihi-Pareora zone.

Environment Canterbury Director Resource Management Kim Drummond said dairy effluent consent compliance is monitored because it has the potential to affect the freshwater quality in streams, rivers and lakes if not properly managed.

“It is very encouraging that our monitoring has shown a region-wide steady improvement in overall compliance rates from season to season,” he said.

“In most cases where significant non-compliance has been found, this has led to improvements being made on effluent disposal systems and in the management of ponding. We recognise dairy farmers are actively working on storage options to ensure full compliance with conditions.

“The improvement in compliance reflects the work done by Environment Canterbury in collaboration with industry partners and other stakeholders.”

All inspections were carried out by Environment Canterbury resource management officers without prior warning. Inspections included, but were not limited to, checks on ponding, storage systems, pond sealing and buffer distance.

These latest results are recorded in Environment Canterbury’s Dairy Report for the 2011-12 season.