Fonterra Tirau Environmental Impact - Assignment Example

Fonterra Tirau Environmental Impact Assessment Report Fonterra Tirau Environmental Impact Assessment Report Introduction Established in the early 1930s, the Fonterra Tirau site originally began as a butter manufacturing and processing company. Today the site primarily manufactures lactic casein, ethanol and lactalbumin producing nearly 11, 400 tons annually both for the domestic as well as the international markets. The Tirau site which is located in a relatively small town in the Waikato region of Northern New Zealand is currently the only Fonterra site in New Zealand that specializes in the manufacture and processing of lactalbumin, a whey protein with diverse nutritional applications (Fonterra, 2014). The area is primarily an agricultural region with farming and dairy production being the main economic activities. Although the Fonterra Tirau site has always been highly compliant with the land use and resource consent application since its inception, there are currently a number of environmental concerns related to the operations of the company. One of the major environmental impact concerns is pollution of the nearby waterways such as by the spillage of nitric acid and caustic cleaning agents from the processing plants that eventually drain into the water ways. The other important environmental effect concerns related to the site include noise and odour emanating from the various activities at the site. However, according to Fonterra (2014), the company’s site at Tirau has recently stepped up its commitment to sustainable environmental management. For example, the plant currently supports a number of initiatives such as regular environmental clean ups throughout the entire South Waikato community as part of its environmental policy that advocates for a global commitment to environmental protection. Additionally, the site has also improved its waste management and energy conservation by using the biogas generated from its anaerobic waste water treatment ponds to partially fuel some of its boilers. This paper presents an environmental impact assessment report of Fonterra Tirau with particular focus on the operations within the site, potential impacts of the operations on the environment as well as the current environmental management strategies employed by the site. Fig 1: Fonterra Tirau Site (Source: Fonterra Website) Environmental Impact Assessment There are a number of features related to the activities of the Fonterra Tirau site that should have been included on the initial environmental impact assessment that was submitted to Environment Waikato at the time of the resource consent application. According to Environment Waikato (2010), water pollution is currently considered to be one of the most critical environmental issues affecting New Zealand particularly the agricultural regions such as the Waikato. One of these features is related to the issue of the pollution of the nearby waterways with wastes from the processing plants that eventually drain into the waterways. For example, in September 2010, Fonterra was successfully prosecuted and fined a total of $24,000 for having allowed nitric acid and caustic cleaning agents from one of its processing sites to drain into a water course. Additionally, apart from the pollution of waterways by nitric acid, the Fonterra’s Tirau site has also presented a serious environmental challenge to the many surface water ways and aquatic ecology of the greater Waikato region. For example, discharges of lactic casein and lactalbumin processing wastes are ecologically catastrophic when they get into water ways. Because of the high nutrient value of such wastes, they often support large amounts of microbial growth that may strip the waterways of dissolved oxygen thereby leading to the demise of most aquatic plants and animals (ARMC, 1999). On the other hand, the introduction of dairy wastes from the site has also been blamed for causing unacceptable changes to the turbidity and colour of the water. This not only negatively impacts on the aesthetic value of such waters, but can also potentially result in a serious ecological impact by reducing light penetration thereby affecting waterway health. It is also worth noting that the lactose wastes in the water can also stimulate the growth of aquatic growth such as sewage fungi and this can further alter the habitat of the affected water ways. With water quality in rivers, streams and lakes in the Northern island of New Zealand rapidly falling with the increasing intensity of farming, it is critically important that water pollution should have been included in the initial environmental impact assessment(IEA) that was submitted to Environment Waikato at the time of the resource consent application (Environment Waikato, 2010). However, a number of regulatory mechanisms are currently being developed to minimize potential pollution from increased agricultural activities in the region. Another important environmental issue that should have been included in the EIA at the time of the resource consent application is the potential impact of the activities and operations at Fonterra’s Tirau site on the soil. For example, just like other receiving environments, soil is normally very vulnerable to damage when it is not properly managed. Additionally, when discharges from processing plants such as Fonterra’s Tirau plant to the soil are poorly planned, the pollution of the soil can also have a flow on effect on other environments such as surface water and air thereby leading to further environmental implications. For example, the application of the site’s wastes to soil largely relies on the ability of the soil microbial activity to break down, degrade and attenuate the wastes into harmless material. However, the presence of excess dairy wastes beyond the soils capacity to biodegrade it can potentially result in a number of negative environmental effects some of which include production of undesirable odours, clogging of the soil surface and pores and depletion of oxygen in the soil (Environment Waikato, 2010). The potential effects of the site on air quality of the surrounding region is another important feature that I strongly believe should have been included in an environmental impact assessment that was submitted to Environment Waikato at the time of resource consent application. For example, with milk being the main raw material used at the site, the presence of dairy wastes from lactic casein or lactalbumin manufacture can potentially result in the production of a rancid and offensive odour due to bacterial degradation of the milk-related by products. Generally such odours often pose a serious environmental effect and may likely to draw complaints from passers-by, neighbours and those living around the site. Environmental Management Tools Fonterra’s philosophy and policy towards environmental management is to demonstrate its global commitment to environmental protection through environmental improvement, sustainability and good environmental practice. This is particularly demonstrated by the number of the company’s environmental initiatives as part of its environmental policy that advocate for a global commitment to environmental protection. For example, Fonterra’s Tirau site recently launched an initiative of regular environmental clean ups throughout the entire South Waikato community. Additionally, the company also became a signatory to the Dairying and Clean Streams Accord which has a clearly set time frame for the improvement of the quality of streams in various parts of New Zealand. In an attempt to improve its environmental management and practice, Fonterra has used a number of environmental management tools some of which include Cleaner Production (CP), Environmental Performance Evaluation (EPE) and Environmental Management Systems (EMS). For example, with regard to the use of Cleaner Production (CP) as an environmental management tool, Fonterra has developed procedures and identified opportunities for waste reduction or elimination such as the production of biogas from its wastes. On the other hand, the use of Environmental Management Systems (EMS) by Fonterra as an environmental management tool is particularly evidenced by Fonterra’s recent development of procedures designed to improve its environmental performance in terms of organizational practices, procedures and processes (Broadnax, 2006). Lastly, Fonterra also carries out regular environmental performance evaluations (EPE) to measure its environmental performance against a specific set of criteria. However, the results of Fonterra evaluations were recently criticized by the Green Party based on the allegations that the self environmental performance evaluations were not carried out accurately (Environment Waikato, 2010). Using these environmental management tools, Fonterra has managed to establish a detailed risk management system that takes into consideration governance, environmental risk assessment, compliance and crisis management. With the development of key operational standards for environmental impact assessment it became easy to ensure safety and compliance as well as keeping the environment safe from biological as well as mechanical hazards and as such ensure environmental sustainability. Waste Minimisation The main waste product produced at the Fonterra Tirau processing plant is whey resulting from the Casein manufacture. According to Hamilton (1998), Whey is a by product of acid casein processing that is largely unsuitable for processing due to the presence of sulphate ions and lactic acid that significantly interferes with the crystallization process during casein manufacture. However, due to its potential environmental impacts, disposal of whey is a major concern in many parts of the world. In New Zealand, whey waste from casein manufacture is processed to produce ethanol which is then used as a biofuel as well as in pharmaceuticals, beverages, perfumes among other uses. The wastewater flow at Tirau Casein Complex is about 3,000,000 litres per day. Although the initial plant capacity was 60 tons of daily chemical oxygen demand, this has been increased to the current demand capacity of 70 tons of chemical oxygen per day. Currently, the Anaerobic Waste Treatment Facility at Tirau Casein Complex produces 11,000,000 litres of ethanol annually (Hamilton, 1998). Additionally, there are a number of ways through which the Fonterra Corporative Limited has also sought to reduce its waste production in its Tirau site. For example, previously the dairy products with short shelf lives were disposed in landfills once their best before date was reached. However, the plant currently recycles and reuses all its expired products through bio-fuel production in order to minimize the amount of the total waste from the site that goes to waste. Fonterra has also recently unveiled a new light proof packaging material that is expected to significantly improve the shelf life of dairy products for several weeks even after opening. Being a member of the New Zealand Packaging Accord, Fonterra has also been involved in the installation of several recycling bins across several parts of New Zealand to further improve waste reduction in the country. The bins are emptied regularly by the local authorities. In order to reduce environmental destruction the Fonterra used compatible zoning as well as planning around manufacturing sites. The locations of manufacturing sites have good supply of water and drainage systems which help reduce water wastage across its sites. The company also does water recycling that meets all the country’s regulations and as such minimize wastage through such actions. On the other hand, there have also been some efforts by Fonterra to reduce the amount of greenhouse emissions of its processing plants across New Zealand. However, research is still ongoing in this area and Fonterra is expected to unveil new strategies to cut its greenhouse gas emissions in the near future. Finally, as a response to the growing concerns of its waste production on the environment, Fonterra is currently supporting a number of waste minimization initiatives some of which include improved infrastructure and management practices (Effluent) such as reduced use of nitrogen compounds among others. This is particularly achieved through the control of nitrogen input management program. The program primarily seeks to limit the amount of nitrogen being released into the effluents by encouraging farmers to monitor their nitrogen input. Waste Treatment The site has also improved its waste management and energy conservation by using the biogas generated from its anaerobic waste water treatment ponds to partially fuel some of its boilers. Generally, the biofuel production from the processing of the Casein waste has enabled Fonterra to become one of the largest producers of biofuel in New Zealand with the current production of about of about 11,000,000 litres of premium bio-ethanol annually at Tirau Casein Complex. The biofuel produced from the casein waste has immense potential environmental benefits some of which include being biodegradable, renewable as well as helping in the reduction of the use of fossil fuels thereby cutting greenhouse emissions. Fig 2: Anaerobic Waste Treatment Facility at Tirau Casein Complex (Source: Fonterra) Another waste treatment strategy currently being employed by Fonterra is the establishment of worm composting units. For example, throughout its New Zealand sites, Fonterra has successfully installed up to eight worm composting units where wastes including food craps are chewed by worms. The resultant fertilizer is then used to grow trees and plants around the processing plants. Lastly, Fonterra has also begun to undertake waste water treatment at the surrounding waterways in order to reduce the environmental impact of its discharges on the rivers. Energy Efficiency Initiatives The company has adopted efficient energy conversation mechanism with increased development of alternative sources of energy as well as minimizing wastage of electricity by using it when necessary. Thorough compliance with all land laws has also prevented destruction of the environment. On the other hand, Fonterra has been able to take into consideration waste water treatment that has helped reduce issues of hazards associated with biological treatment plants and discharge of such waste on land (Broadnax, 2006). Lastly, compared to the aerated lagoon system that was previously used to treat wastewater that consumed nearly 1MW of electricity, the new anaerobic treatment process not only reduces the power consumption but the energy used is recovered through biogas generation. Conclusion In conclusion, Fonterra Tirau is a dairy processing facility that primarily manufactures lactic casein, ethanol and lactalbumin. Despite having been highly compliant with the land use and resource consent application since its inception, the site has experienced a number of environmental concerns related to the operations of the company some of which include pollution of water ways, soil damage and reduction of air quality. However, Tirau site has recently stepped up its commitment to sustainable environmental management through its support of a number of initiatives such as regular environmental clean ups, waste minimization, proper waste treatment and energy efficiency initiatives. References ARMC. (1999). National Water Quality Management Strategy: Effluent Management Guidelines. Retrieved on April 03, 2014 from http://www.environment.gov.au/water/publications/quality/dairy-sheds-australia-paper16b.html Broadnax, R. (2006). The Environment Waikato Approach to Managing Agricultures Impact on the Environment. Primary Industry Management, 9, 2, 7-10. Environment Waikato. (2010). Stream and River Life 2010. Retrieved on April 02, 2014 from http://www.ew.govt.nz/ Environmental-information/Rivers-lakes-and-wetlands/healthyrivers/ Stream-and-river-life Fonterra Company Website. (2014). Official Company Website. Retrieved on April 02, 2014 from http://www.fonterra.com Hamilton, R. (1998). The Manufacture of Ethanol From Whey. Auckland: New Zealand Institute of Chemistry. Retrieved on April 03, 2014 from http://nzic.org.nz/ChemProcesses/dairy/3H.pdf Read More