A dairy farmer has accused Greater Wellington of playing favourites in approving Masterton's sewerage scheme.
Masterton District Council has a resource consent allowing them to sometimes pour treated sewage into the Ruamahanga River - an option that would never be acceptable for dairy farmers, John Coveney of Pirinoa said.
"Dairy farmers are not allowed to discharge effluent, treated or semi-treated into waterways."
Mr Coveney said dairy farmers "are a bit sensitive about environmental issues".
"Cowshed effluent, run-off, waterways, sustainability, nutrient budgeting, the list grows ...
"In time, with sensible management and regulation, I'm confident we'll get it right."
But Mr Coveney said he finds it hard "to go down this co-operative track, when I see Masterton District Council getting resource consent from the same Greater Wellington Regional Council that monitors discharges for cowsheds and the like."
"GWRC allowing MDC to flood land with probably 100mm to 200mm - or more - of effluent liquid at any one pass defies environmental logic.
Mr Coveney said farmers must "dispose of all effluent to land without causing ponding".
"This means normally about 40mm application of effluent liquid on to land at any one pass, depending on soil type, dryness, permeability and proximity to waterways, and probably other reasons.
"This method of treatment prevents overloading of the soil and contamination of waterways underground, then eventually to open waterways."
"Most soils will only hold in suspension within the soil particles about 35mm to 40mm of liquid.
"The rest, if any, travels downwards - to wetter soils and to underground waterways, and eventually to open waterways."
Mr Coveney struggles to find the right metaphor to describe the differing approaches. "It smacks of collusion, inside trading, behind closed doors, cosy in bed, mates rates, gentleman's club, old school mates, call it what you like."
What he is asking for is "one law for councils, one law for dairy farmers, sharing similar environmental problems".
"Right now, near Masterton, I see a local dairy farmer being prosecuted for effluent ponding and run-off into a waterway, while once again MDC is doing this on a regular basis, right now!"
He estimates dairy farmers spend $5000 to $15,000 - "quite a few percent of their income" on environmental regulation, including "systems, running costs, maintenance and depreciation".
"Local councils and the bigger population of New Zealand are going to have to bite the bullet and do the same as dairy farmers - unsavoury though it may be on your rates and councillors' political butts."
Mr Coveney said politicians always have an answer, but "a lot of these decisions are made for political reasons - it's too hard to borrow the money, too hard to change ... they've always got a line to argue".
Dairy farmer points finger
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