10,000-tonne composter sparks local health fears

Residents in an East Cork village have expressed concerns that plans by a farmer to build a 10,000-tonne organic composting facility on his land could pose a health risk and pollute water in the wider Glanmire area.

According to the residents of Knockraha, research in Germany shows anyone living in a 2km-3km radius of such a plant will be at increased risk of asthma and other chest ailments because of spores and micro organisms released into the atmosphere by the composting.

The locals further claim that, in Britain, such super composters must be 500m from domestic dwellings.