Dirty dairy farms fail to comply

One in five Canterbury dairy farms fails to meet environmental standards for effluent disposal, a new report says.

Environment Canterbury’s (ECan) annual dairy-shed effluent report found more farms fully complied with environmental standards from 39.6 per cent in 2006-07 to 45.8% in 2007-08. It also recorded an increase in the number with significant or major non-compliance problems (20%, up from 17.7% last year).

Major problems include ponding of effluent, waste being dumped into waterways or nitrogen overload.