Fonterra faces praise, protests over waste dumping

A group challenging a resource consent allowing dairy company Fonterra to discharge waste into the Manawatu River, has agreed to mediation.

Earlier this year Manawatu Wanganui Regional Council granted a consent for the company to discharge wash and cooling water into the river for 15 years.

This was challenged by Waitarere Environmental Care Association which lodged an appeal in the Environment Court.

Association president Kelvin Lane told National Radio they would now try to resolve the matter through mediation.

However, if the outcome of the talks was unsatisfactory; he said the association would continue the fight through the court.

Fonterra, which won an award for how it treats wastewater at one of its factories, has attracted strong criticism for what was happening at the Longburn factory near Palmerston North.

Last week the dairy giant received the Westpac national sustainable business award for its treatment process developed at Tirau in the Waikato.

At the award ceremony on Thursday, the Prime Minister praised the work the company was doing on environmental sustainability.

On Saturday hundreds of protesters took to the streets in Palmerston North with a different message: stop dumping toxic waste in the Manawatu river.

An organiser of the protest, Malcolm Mulholland, said Fonterra was one of 190 businesses dumping into the river and the council and local body politicians needed to take notice of what residents wanted.

Tonight Fonterra said it would not be bringing the award winning treatment method to the Longburn site at this stage.

A spokesman said this was because the sites used two different processes.

"Effluent from the Longburn site is primarily disposed of through land treatment however the anoxic treatment process that is been used at Tirau requires a biological treatment process which is not available at Longburn".

- NZPA