Neighbours of a rural grain silo are upset that barley which may be infested with imported noxious seeds is being stored there.
They say the Ministry of Agriculture breached its own rules by letting commodities trader Jossco NZ store the grain at the Mangatawhiri silos.
The 1300-tonne load waslast month trucked to the silos next to Mark and Jane Holmes' farm and Lynnette Baird's lifestyle block.
The neighbours say that during unloading, some of the grain blew onto their land. Birds were able to eat it, creating further potential for noxious seeds to spread.
Jossco commercial manager David Livingstone said the grain was being tested. He expected the results to show the barley was clear of noxious seeds.
"It's in our interests to maintain the bio-security integrity of the country," he said.
When the barley arrived from South Australia, it was classified as class 2, meaning it contained up to eight noxious weed seeds per 5kg of sample. Class 2 grains can be processed only at a MAF-approved facility, and not on a farm.
MAF said the Mangatawhiri silos were approved for class 2 grain, and had been for years.
Dr Dave Nendick, national adviser for plant imports, seeds and nursery stock, denied that there were border control lapses.
The 1.2ha facility is surrounded by the Holmes' 72ha maize-cropping farm.
"It's done the damage - it has spread from one end of the farm to the other," said Mrs Holmes.
Noxious plants on the farm could financially cripple their business.
Dr Nendick said Jossco was footing the cost of having the grain regraded class 1, so it could be processed anywhere.
"If they are going to do that there won't be too much wrong with this barley."
He conceded that dust was raised when the trucks were dumping the grain at the silos, but said MAF was not worried about diseases being spread.
Lynnette Baird said grain blew on to her property while it was being dumped.
She claimed the silos did not meet MAF's own standards.
The facility was not bird-proof, was in a flood zone and had no sealed quarantine areas, she said.
Mr Livingstone said grain imports were at their highest level for several years because of shortages caused by drought in the South Island.
