16 Jul 2015

No concerns about heavy metals - commissioner

2:09 pm on 16 July 2015

The Environment Commissioner said she had no concerns over heavy metals being an issue on land farms where waste from oil and gas drilling is spread.

The Primary Industries Ministry has released a set of guidelines for farmers and food processors, which say stock and crops must be kept off landfarms until tests show that petro-chemicals are at levels that are specified to be safe.

The Green Party has dismissed the guidelines as woefully inadequate, saying they fail to protect animals or humans from toxic heavy metals.

But the commissioner, Jan Wright, who urged the Government to intervene on landfarms last year, said the investigations into heavy metals showed there was nothing to worry about at this stage.

Get the RNZ app

for ad-free news and current affairs