Milk may have to be disposed of depending on how long it takes to restore access across the bridge. Westland spokesperson Bernard May says it could be up to three days before tankers can get back into the area.
Bernard says that the situation has been complicated by the fact that the flooding also took out a fibre optic cable running alongside the bridge, meaning telephone and internet contact with farmers is not possible except for those who happen to be in good cell phone reception areas.
Bernard said: “We are working urgently to get messages to farmers by any means possible about how to cope with this situation. Farmers are being told to dispose of their milk through their normal effluent disposal systems so we can avoid pollution of local waterways.
“They are being asked to only dispose of enough milk to allow them to store their most recent milking. This controlled release, along with the huge amount of water in local catchments and on the paddocks at the moment will minimise any environmental effects.”
Source: Westland Milk Products
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