Dairygold says odour problem won’t reoccur

DAIRYGOLD said it has taken action to ensure that there will be no reoccurrence of the recent bad odours resulting from the spreading of organic waste on two Waterford farms.

The company is refuting claims made at a county council meeting that the waste was untreated, insisting also that the operation was carried out in strict compliance with the terms of its Integrated Pollution Control licence and its own nutrient management plan.

The waste was spread by Dairygold on lands in the neighbouring Ballyduff and Camphire areas amid claims by a number of local farmers that the operation had created odours so obnoxious that they were forced to remain indoors for a time.

Local councillors took the matter up at a county council meeting, strongly criticising Dairygold and claiming that it was untreated effluent that had been spread on the lands.

The head of the council’s own environmental engineering department, Paul Daly, acknowledged that the spreading of the waste was being done legally under an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) licence, but also accepted the odours created were “outrageous” and that the company was not entitled to create that kind of nuisance.

Dairygold said in a statement that the natural organic waste spreading in Ballyduff and Camphire is fully treated and is both non-toxic and non-hazardous. “The waste is a by-product of the company’s dairy products and has significant agricultural benefits, acting both as a soil conditioner and enricher while reducing also the requirement for artificial fertilisers.”

The company also stated that the organic waste does not give rise to mal-odour issues, but unfortunately on the occasion being complained of the odour’s intensity was more evident.