Affco: Council figures wrong

Affco says council waste readings are inaccurate. Photo/File

Meat processor Affco has hit back at claims that it has been ignoring trade waste bylaws, saying the sampling method used by the Wanganui District Council was "grossly inaccurate".

Samples the council took from Affco's Imlay plant in 10 days during February pointed to the company having breached the bylaw by dumping excessive loads of waste into the city's wastewater system.

Discharges from Wanganui's six major wet industries have been in the spotlight since the treatment plant failed leaving ratepayers facing a $24 million bill to upgrade the plant.

But yesterday Rowan Ogg, Affco general manager, said the company "emphatically rejected" the council's sampling methods.

He said the company had tried unsuccessfully to get the council to the table to discuss these differences.

"To date they've refused to engage in any scientifically robust debate on their sampling methods and have not provided the information on their sampling regime for such a debate to be undertaken," he said.

His company had tried to get the information using the the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act and was still waiting for that outcome.

Mr Ogg said the council sampling involved taking one grab sample at a single time in the day and then using it to estimate the full day's wastewater load from the Gonville plant.

"This is grossly inaccurate as the wastewater load varies by the minute, and cannot be used to estimate the day's production.

"The huge variability of the council sampling results on a day-by-day basis, despite the fact the Imlay plant has not changed its activities day to day, demonstrate this fact."

He said Affco's method meant sampling the wastewater every hour of the day and night, seven days a week, so a full picture of the weekly load could be accurately determined.

The results of tests had been given to the council to show this and Mr Ogg said that they also showed that, in the main, the plant was well within its consented discharge limits.

"We understand the issues council is having with the wastewater treatment plant and we're working constructively with them on how the future design can be improved."

Affco had invested significantly in wastewater reduction equipment in the past five years and was continuing to invest in rendering equipment upgrades that would reduce the wastewater load even further.

"We've preferred to remain silent on the wastewater debate so far, but in light of this article [Chronicle front page yesterday] need to set the record straight."

He said in the past five years Affco Imlay had consistently reduced the load on the wastewater system, not increased it, but its costs for waste levied by the council during the period had soared.

"The focus should go on how the treatment plant will perform to its intended design standard, and do so cost effectively rather than the distraction on industry wastewater which, in Affco's case, has been improving steadily over time."