Cork creamery ordered by EPA to stop discharging effluent into river

North Cork Creameries in Kanturk told to cease discharging effluent into River Allow

EPA action was taken after 'exceedances' were detected in treated effluent discharges from North Cork Creameries in Kanturk into the River Allow on November 11. Picture: Larry Cummins

The ability of one of Ireland’s biggest creameries to produce milk has been hit by an Environmental Protection Agency order to stop discharging effluent into one of Cork’s rivers.

The action was taken after “exceedances” were detected in treated effluent discharges from North Cork Creameries in Kanturk on November 11.

The EPA said although the creamery ceased discharging its effluent — wastewater from the milk processing process — from a discharge point into the nearby River Allow and began undertaking corrective action, its inspectors were not satisfied "compliance was satisfactorily restored”.

As a result, it has “deemed discharges should not be resumed”, which — because processing milk creates a substantial amount of effluent — affects the plant's ability to process milk.

An EPA spokesperson told the Irish Examiner: “On November 14, the EPA issued a notice directing them to suspend discharges from [the discharge point into the River Allow].

“The notice directs the licensee to without delay take the necessary measures to ensure compliance with the conditions of [its industrial emissions] licence is restored in the shortest possible time and to the satisfaction of the [EPA].

“The licencee is required to furnish confirmation in writing to the [EPA] that compliance with the licence has been restored, and the [EPA] shall then give notice in writing to the licensee where it is satisfied to accept that confirmation, prior to any recommencement of the discharge.” 

The agency added: "North Cork Creameries is not currently discharging [from the River Allow discharge point].

“The [EPA] awaits a response from North Cork Creameries in relation to compliance at (this point)."

A spokesperson for the creamery told the Irish Examiner: “We are co-operating fully with the EPA to ensure compliance with our licensed wastewater treatment requirements.

“We are investing very substantially in our facilities and operations in this regard. We will resume processing at the earliest time, with the approval of the EPA.” 

Environmental breaches of its EPA licence have been highlighted since the creamery was visited by three EPA inspectors a day after one of the biggest fish kills in Irish environmental history was first reported on August 11.

It led to up to 40,000 fish being killed in the River Blackwater and the River Clyda in the Mallow area, of north Cork.

The fish, which included trout and salmon, were found along an 18km stretch of the river between Lombardstown and Killavullen.

EPA inspectors found the dairy plant non-compliant with its discharge licence in their inspection of the creamery on August 12.

They discovered there had been a discharge into the River Allow that had occurred from the plant just hours before they arrived.

They would later say in their report into that site visit that ​creamery staff told them the discharge “may have caused environmental pollution”.

But it said it could find no “causal link” between the fish kill and any discharges from the creamery.

Plant bosses would also later say there “was nothing at any level of concentration or content” in the wastewater effluent outflow from the creamery that day that could have caused the fish kill.

They have also declared no one should conflate the discharge from its plant on August 12 with the fish kill​ reported the day before.