'One-off mechanical failure': Affco regretful about river discharges that landed it $138K fine

The Wairoa River and the Affco plant two years after the Talley Group's 2010 takeover of the company. Photo / NZME

Meat processing giant Affco New Zealand is confident it has taken all steps necessary to prevent a recurrence of Wairoa River discharges which led to it being fined $138,000.

The fine was imposed in the Environment Court at the end of July after the company pleaded guilty to charges relating to illegal mid-2020 discharges Judge Brian Dwyer described as "repugnant".

The charges were laid by the Hawke's Bay Regional Council, which discovered the offending firstly in routine tests at the end of June 2020.

In a statement the company says it acknowledges that "unfortunately" there was a breach of its resource consents.

"These issues, including a one-off mechanical failure of a piece of equipment, have been identified and remedied, with mechanisms put in place to ensure there are back up systems in place if necessary," the statement says.

It says that while Affco accepts the penalty, an independent expert review has confirmed that impacts to the Wairoa River were likely to be "no more than minor" and that the discharge did not contain any toxic or hazardous matter.

"Nevertheless, Affco is regretful that this has occurred and is committed to the Wairoa community, iwi and awa, and is determined to continue to strengthen the already good existing relationships within Wairoa, " the statement says.

A meatworks was established in Wairoa in by the Wairoa Co-op Meat Co in 1916, but the plant was destroyed by fire two days after the 1931 Hawke's Bay Earthquake. In 1990 it was acquired by Affco, which was then subject to a 100 per cent takeover by Talley Group Ltd in 2010.

It is sited on the northeastern coastward fringes of the Northern Hawke's Bay town, and is one of 12 Affco plants throughout the country, all but two in the North Island.

Judge Dwyer took into account a cultural impact assessment in which local iwi representatives outlined the significance of the plant to the town and district and their abhorrence of the pollution.

The judge recognised poor and deteriorating quality of the river water and there were many sources of discharges over its course upstream and west and northwest of the town.

But he said it didn't lessen company responsibilities to comply with its permits to limit the impacts.

The company, regional and local representatives had met for a restorative justice conference in early July, and Judge Dwyer asked that the council to consider contributing from the fine towards river enhancement.