Fonterra needs to review its contingency plans for disposing of milk by-product says the Waikato Regional Council, as it ramps up its investigation into a lake of buttermilk on an Atiamuri farm near Taupo.
Trucks have been taking the buttermilk from Fonterra plants, including Te Rapa and Edgecombe, to the Tram Road farm for several weeks as the dairy giant grapples with manufacturing this spring’s record milk production.
The council, alerted to the big disposal by the Waikato Times, investigated earlier this month and concluded the milky lake was not an immediate threat to the environment or waterways, though it said it would be watching closely to see how the landowner and Fonterra planned to get rid of it.
But now the council has started an investigation into how it came to be there, said compliance and education division manager Rob Dragten.
Neither Fonterra or the council can say what volume of buttermilk has been taken to the site, but both say disposing of it is expected to take several weeks.
Dragten said Fonterra has a number of contingency plans to deal with milk and by-products that cannot be manufactured in a timely manner, for any number of reasons.
The council worked closely with Fonterra on the plans but «these are their contingency plans», and their appropriateness was Fonterra’s responsibility, he said.
In this warm and productive spring, Fonterra had done a lot of work to ensure milk was picked up and manufactured, but «it would be appropriate for Fonterra to review their contingency plans», Dragten said.
The council was not investigating any other milk disposal issues.
Meanwhile Fonterra director of operations and logistics Robert Spurway has confirmed the company is discharging excess by-product into the sea off Hawera in Taranaki, under its resource consent to do so, and «in very small volumes – one or two tankers equivalent a day».
A company spokeswoman had previously denied any discharging was taking place.
In the Atiamuri case, Dragten said the trucking company, which he declined to name, is contracted to Fonterra, and has a generic resource consent to operate in the Taupo and Rotorua areas, subject to conditions.
The buttermilk had been dumped under that resource consent.
The council was looking into «the circumstances of how it came to be there», and ensuring there is no immediate threat to the environment, Dragten said.
His staff were also working with the landowner and Fonterra to ensure the big pool was disposed of as quickly as possible, he said.
The landowner had assured Dragten’s staff that the gully where the buttermilk has been dumped was sealed. This was also part of the investigation, he said.
The standard penalties for breaching the Resource Management Act are, for an individual, a $300,000 fine or two years in prison and for a corporate, a $600,000 fine.
Dragten said a number of companies in the region have resource consents to dispose of by-products.
A landowner does not require a specific consent to store milk by-product as long as the operation is carried out by a consent holder and according to the rules of the consent. However a landowner does need a consent to disperse onto land, for example by irrigating the buttermilk, he said.
Spurway said Fonterra checked disposal sites, and ensured that it sighted copies of resource consents.
«However we don’t always have total visibility over the operation.»
Fonterra’s first preference was for excess buttermilk to be fed to calves and pigs, he said. Landowners were not paid for taking excess product.
Providing the weather was dry and warm, the buttermilk at Atiamuri would be very suitable for irrigating.
Fonterra’s responsibility did not stop when the excess left the factory, Spurway said. The company would be working with the regional council and the landowner to ensure the buttermilk was disposed of in a safe manner.
Source: Stuff
