Piggery owners fined

Fines handed down to owners of a Carterton piggery are a clear sign the courts will not tolerate environmental offending that degrades waterways, Greater Wellington says.

The Environment Court today convicted and fined Reid's Piggery owners Noel and Elaine Reid $12,000 each and manager Stephen Shivas $5000 following an incident last November in which pig effluent was discharged from an open hydrant and flowed into a tributary of the Parkvale Stream.

Judge Craig Thompson described the Reids' irrigation system as "forgotten or neglected".

He said the incident caused water downstream to be "grossly polluted and unfit for consumption" with aquatic life significantly affected.

Greater Wellington, which brought the charges under the Resource Management Act, said the court's decision highlighted the fact it had little tolerance for environmental offending that affected water quality.

"The incident was foreseeable and preventable," Greater Wellington environmental protection team leader Nic Conland said.

"It could have been prevented if systems had been in place to identify the hydrants and taps, check their status and ensure that there were lids on any that were not connected to the effluent irrigation system," he said.

- NZPA