Environment Southland councillor Lloyd McCallum has resumed his role on the regional council’s regulatory committee now that a complaint about his farming practices has been resolved.

Because the case involved a councillor, Environment Southland’s investigation was reviewed by the Environmental Protection Authority.

Cr McCallum, the council’s deputy chairman, stood down from the regulatory committee in June. He has served the council continuously since 2013.

Cr McCallum issued a media release yesterday saying the “complaint abut some cows near a river on my property has been completed’’.

“The investigation resulted in no enforcement action being taken. 

“However, being the subject of an investigation was a stressful experience to myself and my family and I am relieved it is over. 

“Having said that, like all challenging situations in life there are learnings and opportunities.

“The bar is continuing to rise for good on-farm management practice and the management of waterways. 

“As a regional councillor and a farmer, I will continue to review and improve my own farming practices to ensure we are operating at and above good practice.

“I look forward to returning to work for all the ratepayers of Southland and will not be making any further public comment on the matter,” Cr McCallum said.

Environment Southland’s policy, planning and regulatory general manager Vin Smith confirmed the investigation was over and no enforcement action would be taken.

Mr Smith said the complaint was investigated “in the same way as all complaints are managed, however we took some additional measures.’’

Mr Smith said the council did not ordinarily provide a statement following the completion of an investigation, but was doing so in this case because it related to a councillor. 

Environment Southland received an email from a member of the public on May 4, this year expressing concerns about cattle being fed on a river bed on the Oreti River. 

A photo was supplied with the complaint. 

Mr Smith said the property was not immediately identified and the complaint was triaged according to Environment Southland’s incident prioritisation protocol and the restrictions of COVID Alert Level 3 in place at the time.

When the investigation commenced, the property was identified as belonging to Strone Farms Ltd, of which Environment Southland deputy chairman Lloyd McCallum is one of four directors. 

The first site visit took place on 8 June.

Mr Smith said an extensive investigation was conducted and the council sought legal advice on whether it was correctly interpreting the rules relating to existing use rights.

“The paddock in question had been used to feed stock and was completely fenced off from the river. 

“There was no evidence to suggest any contaminant discharges to land that may lead to water.

“In relation to the cows being within a river bed, an assessment was made based on photos of the property and latest case law, which established the area is not the bed of a river.

“Although Rule 35a of the proposed Southland Water and Land Plan may require consent, Section 20a of the Resource Management Act authorises it under an existing use rights provision, without the need for a resource consent at this point in time. Therefore, the activity was not unlawful,’’ Mr Smith said.

Staff requested the Environmental Protection Authority review the investigation files.

“The EPA found that, based on the information provided by Environment Southland, no offence had occurred and therefore the decision not to take formal enforcement action was appropriate.   

“No action will be taken and the investigation is now closed,’’ Mr Smith said.