Hawke's Bay mushroom farm fined for foul funk

The source of the odour is the compost-making process (Getty)
The source of the odour is the compost-making process (Getty)

A Hawke's Bay mushroom farm has been fined $15,000 for repeatedly emitting a foul odour, in breach of its resource consent obligations.

Havelock North's Te Mata Mushroom Company now has to submit a new resource consent application, including new measures on how it plans to address the problem.

The Brookvale Rd farm was originally charged with six counts of discharging offensive smells in March and April last year, which were rolled into a single representative charge.

"Hawke's Bay Regional Council is not in the business of putting people out of business, but as the regulator, it must carefully balance the economic needs of the region, with the rights of local residents to have an enjoyable environment to live in," says manager of resource use Wayne Wright.

"While the odour will not be halted immediately, the new consent application will be notified and the community will have the opportunity to have their say on the issue and have input into the process of granting the new resource consent for Te Mata Mushrooms."

The source of the odour is the compost-making process, which sees straw, chicken manure, water and mineral gypsum mixed together.

The company's resource consent, issued in 2012, required the construction of ventilation and filtration systems to minimise the smell, which the council says wasn't done.

Newshub.