Stinky buttermilk case off to court

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Eltham residents affected by the dumping of millions of litres of milk by-products in the town’s waste water treatment plant say a pending trial may give them some of the answers they have been looking for.

Yesterday in the New Plymouth District Court, Fonterra pleaded not guilty to nine charges laid by the Taranaki Regional Council (TRC) under the Resource Management Act.

The charges relate to foul odour created as a result of a discharge of contaminants into the Eltham waste water treatment plant between March and May this year.

Eltham Action Eader Group spokesman Mark Kelly said a further court hearing might mean more information would come to light about what had happened.

He said there was wider public interest in the case now and he was committed to seeing the process through to the end.

«I’m determined that we fight this and hold people accountable,» he said.

Kelly said it had already been a costly exercise for everyone involved and some of the residents still battled with health issues.

Eltham resident Alex Ballantyne, who attended court with wife Maree, said there were still a lot of unanswered questions, especially related to the ongoing health impacts.

«We still don’t know exactly what we are breathing in,» he said.

When contacted by the Taranaki Daily News yesterday, the TRC declined to comment about Fonterra’s not guilty pleas or about how much money had been spent to date on the prosecution against the dairy company and the South Taranaki District Council.

Last month the council pleaded guilty to one charge of discharging contaminants, which carries a maximum penalty of a $600,000 fine.

Fonterra is due to reappear in court on November 24.

The council is due to be sentenced on the same day.

Source: Stuff

Mirá También

Así lo expresó Domingo Possetto, secretario de la seccional Rafaela, quien además, afirmó que a los productores «habitualmente los ignoran los gobiernos». Además, reconoció la labor de los empresarios de las firmas locales y aseguró que están «esperanzados» con la negociación entre SanCor y Adecoagro.

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