The fine was issued on July 18 after investigations by the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment showed that the farm's wastewater storage tank had not been properly built, causing wastewater to leak into the environment. Testing of the wastewater, which has not been treated properly before being released into the tank, also found that it contained polluting substances surpassing safety levels.
According to the department's report, the wastewater treatment facility failed to meet quality standards at the farm which raises 12,000 pigs.
Besides paying the fine, the company has been requested to fix its wastewater treatment system by August 5.
Earlier, residents in Nghia Dan District in the neighbouring province of Nghe An gathered at the farm in Thanh Hoa's Nhu Xuan District to complain about the Sao Stream being so seriously polluted by wastewater that it caused fish to die en masse.
According to residents, the polluting wastewater has also contaminated underground water in the area, which they usually use for cooking and watering plants.
