Victoria’s Environment Protection Authority (EPA) says some farmers are still failing to manage dairy effluent, after it fined a West Gippsland company more than $9000 for letting more than 1000 litres of effluent escape into a creek.
The company was issued with remedial notices requiring it to stop any discharges from the property and fix its dairy effluent management system.
EPA Gippsland Regional Manager, Jessica Bandiera, said dairy effluent spills are easily preventable with routine maintenance, and yet they are still happening.
“EPA has promoted the issue in local media, conducted inspection sweeps and given direct advice on farms, yet we are still having to issue fines over spills caused by a simple lack of maintenance,” Ms Bandiera said.
It’s an issue many dairy farmers across Gippsland are battling with.
In East Gippsland, Bruthen dairy farmer, Craig Calvert, has been working with the EPA on improving his dairy effluent system and currently has a notice of works in place.
IMAGE: Craig Calvert concedes he bought an ageing dairy farm when he purchased it several years ago and is working on improving his effluent system which has been hammered by recent floods.