Carterton fire on 'dirty dairy'

Dairy cows dirtying our roads will not be tolerated this winter if the tough talk coming from Carterton District Council is to be believed.
A report on dairy cow crossings was presented at a council meeting this year as a response to complaints from the public.
It details how letters were sent to all farmers identified by the council as users of roads for cattle crossings, informing them of their responsibilities under stock-movement laws.
"Some farmers have responded to the letter and have been told they have no need to worry if they adhere to the policy," the report noted.
"However if complaints are received the council will take further action."
That action would include an initial inspection of the road in question by a council roading consultant, with the offending farmer issued a notice to clean it up.
If that failed to happen, council contractors would do the cleaning but at the farmer's expense.
Planning and regulatory manager Milan Hautler said it was fair to say the council were taking a tougher stance on dirty roads this year after several complaints last year.
He said about 20 letters had been sent out advising farmers of their responsibilities but could not say if he expected to have to take action.
"I hope not ... but we will act on complaints [from the public]."
Dairy farmer Ross Wither, who chairs the Carterton Residents and Ratepayers Association, agreed stock could cause a mess.
"With sealed roads it does hammer the roads pretty hard.
"If you have a place where cows are regularly crossing then you can certainly notice it."
But he said rather than simply wielding a stick in the form of infringement notices the council should provide more of an incentive for farmers to build underpasses.
He said underpasses were hugely expensive but councils could help lower the cost by involving farmers during any remedial work they were carrying out near farms.
He said he was not aware of any farmers being told by the council to clean up after their stock.
The report also noted that "public safety issues will be forwarded to police or Department of Labour's [Occupational Safety and Health]".
Wairarapa Road Safety Council manager Dave Ryan said dirty roads could pose a safety hazard for motorists, especially motorcyclists.
However he said he was not aware of any recent crashes caused by cow effluent.