Interactive workshops on waste water management

Milk producers in the George, Swellendam and Malmesbury regions of the Western Cape  attended workshops on how to manage waste water in terms of the requirements of the National Water Act (Act 36 of 1998) and the Waste Act (Act 59 of 2008) on 15, 16 and 17 November 2016. The workshops were well attended and there was a high level of interaction between the dairy farmers and government officials. Officials from the Department of Water and Sanitation and the Western Cape Department of Environmental Affairs informed producers about the legislative requirements and the process involved with the registration and authorisation of effluent dams and irrigation from effluent dams in an informal and practical way. The interactive workshops provided the platform for dairy farmers and government to raise important issues which will be addressed in the near future. Developing and distributing a simplified list of requirements dairy farmers have to comply with are some of the action steps that were identified at the workshops. The MPO and officials from both departments stressed their commitment to supporting dairy farmers in being informed of the requirements, understanding what is expected by government and assisting them with the registration and authorisation processes.