A Coromandel dairy farmer has been convicted and fined $72,750 for deliberately discharging effluent into farm drains that flow to the Tairua River.

Farmer Peter Craig Darrah was convicted and sentenced by for eight offences under the Resource Management Act in the Thames District Court yesterday.

Coromandel dairy farmer Peter Craig Darrah has been convicted and fined $72,520 for deliberately discharging effluent into farm drains that flow to the Tairua River. Photo: Google Maps

According to the Waikato Regional Council the discharges occurred over an 11 year period, from 2003 and 2014.

The prosecution arose after a complaint was received in August of last year about effluent management practices on Darrah's Hikuai Settlement Rd farm near Tairua.

Council investigations manager Patrick Lynch says in some respects 'this is about as bad as it gets”.

'Often we find discharges that result from carelessness, or even negligence, but someone deliberately polluting is rare, thankfully.

'However, the fact the discharges continued after the farmer was formally directed to cease is quite staggering.”

A council inspection found the farm's effluent ponds were overflowing to water. Hoses were also found that appeared to be set up for the purpose of pumping effluent into farm drains.

The subsequent investigation confirmed that pumping had been deliberately and routinely occurring over the previous 11 years.

An abatement notice was served on Darrah to cease the unlawful discharges, but despite this, he continued with the practice.

On one occasion the pumping duration was found to be approximately nine hours resulting in over 300,000 litres of effluent being discharged into the farm drain.

The drain flows a short distance before entering the Boom Stream – this stream flows about 1.5km to the Tairua River.

'This sort of activity not only has a significant impact on the immediate environment but also causes unfair damage to the reputation of the wider farming community.”