Fonterra defends its ‘ghost-farms’

A Fonterra facility. The company has been accused of creating so-called ‘ghost-farms’.

Fonterra has been accused of creating ghost farms – including one in Waipā where nitrate-heavy water is dumped.

Buxton Farm has been used to soak up waste water from the nearby Hautapu dairy plant since 1994. It is one of 29 farms it uses primarily for “nutrient management”.

The company responded on its own website this week after media picked up the story, originally aired by Radio New Zealand.

“When managed well, we can use the treated water from our factories to help grow grass and other crops such as hemp. We can then harvest these crops for worthwhile uses such as making animal feed. This provides us with a nice circular model for nutrient management.  This is the model we have in place in Hautapu where we’ve been operating a ‘cut and carry’ farm for a couple of years,” a company statement read.

The company disputed the term “ghost farm”.

“You may have heard these referred to as ‘ghost farms’, as there aren’t any cows on them – but that’s not a real term. It’s actually that we’ve created an alternative use for this land, which enables us to grow crops, using water from our sites to provide the nutrients required for them to grow well.”

Fencourt Rd residents raised concerns in the middle of last year when Fonterra applied to both Waikato Regional Council and Waipā District Council to renew its existing wastewater consents and for consent to build a treatment plant.

It is understood Fonterra has supplied 38 water filter systems to properties near the Hautapu plant to remove nitrate from their water.

“The treatment processes we use are designed to ensure the impacts on the environment are acceptable and remain within the limits set by Regional Councils,” the company said.

The company say it plans to invest $400 million over 10 years to upgrades wastewater plants at their Te Awamutu, Hautapu, Edgecumbe, Whareroa, Maungaturoto, Longburn, Reporoa, Kapuni and Clandeboye and factories. It says the majority of nitrogen in wastewater comes from cleaning processes.

More Recent News

Waipā plays the Trump card

Donald Trump is a risk. Without naming the president, Waipā District Council’s Business Resilience and Risk advisor Genny Wilson says the US government’s introduction of tariffs and any later retaliatory action by the rest of…

Mailouts can stay private

Ombudsman Peter Boshier has ruled Waipā District Council is entitled to withhold weekly mail outs from Good Local Media, citing obligations of confidence, free and frank nature, and legal privilege. Boshier also rejected Good Local…

Navy pennant flies high

Kirikiriroa & St Peter’s Scout Group received the Royal New Zealand Navy Recognition Pennant at Scouts Aotearoa Northland Zone Regatta at Kai Iwi Lakes on Saturday. Senior patrol leader Hamish Smith, 14, and Venturer Kaylee…

Profits dry up as drought hits

Zane and Marie Kite expects to lose tens of thousands of dollars of milk production this season as they farm through extreme drought conditions. Their Parallel Road farm, near Kaipaki, is one step ahead of…