Mid Ulster: Residents protest over compost factory smell concerns

BBC News

3 days ago

A crowd of more then 200 people gathered outside Mid Ulster Council offices to voice concerns about new planning proposals linked to a controversial compost factory in County Tyrone.People who live close to the factory near Killeeshil have previously claimed their lives are being impacted by a bad smell which they say is coming from the factory.Last year, the company Northway Mushrooms went into administration and the operators of the site are now Sawgrass Substrates Ltd (SSL).In a statement, the company said it acknowledged the concerns raised by some local residents regarding odour, but that it maintained "full compliance with all environmental requirements".
A spokesperson for SSL added: "We take all community feedback seriously and are committed to operating responsibly and in line with our Waste Management Licence strictly regulated by the NI Environment Agency (NIEA)."Work at the factory involves the mixing of hay, chicken litter, and water to create a compost for mushroom growing.In March last year, local residents protested outside Northway Mushrooms to voice their concerns about a smell that they say they've been living with for years.Months later, the local school and GAA club said the smell was still impacting children's everyday lives.On Friday, members of the Cabragh Concerned Residents Association (CCRA) were once again protesting, this time outside Mid Ulster Council offices in Dungannon.
Joseph McDonald is a member of Cabragh Concerned Residents Association (CCRA). Speaking at the protest, he said: "What you see here today is the spirit of our community, we're annoyed and distressed by what we see as an injustice."He said this issue has been ongoing for five years and they have been living with the smell which is like "rotten broccoli, it hits your chest and lungs"."Mentally it's not good for the community, you go out and put clothes on the line and the clothes are stinking, just even simple things like that. The hallway in my house is stinking," he said."Clean air is meant to be a basic human right, we're not getting that and we're putting out a message to our council tonight that something seriously needs to be done about the odour in this area."
Protestors held placards and posters chanting "stop the stink".Many of the protesters said they believed the smell had gotten worse in recent months.Concerns surrounding odour issues at the factory in Killeeshil have been discussed several times at Mid Ulster Council.The protest on Friday is also connected to a new planning application linked to the factory.An application for a proposed "additional bio and roughing filter, yard extension (for bale storage), boundary fence and ancillary site works" has been recommended for approval.It is due to be presented to Mid Ulster's planning committee on Tuesday.A spokesperson for Mid Ulster Council said the purpose of the planning application was to "facilitate additional storage areas to ensure production is not interrupted" and that the proposed additional equipment would "mitigate emissions from the previously approved operations".
The application has had more than 180 letters of objections, many of which are from local residents who live close to the factory.Speaking at the protest on Friday a number of the protestors said they still had "serious concerns" that there would be still be ongoing odour issues.In a statement, SSL said it had "invested significantly in advanced odour reduction technologies".A spokesperson added: "To demonstrate our proactive commitment to the local community, an additional odour control facility is proposed with a capex of £1.2 million investment."This is not required as part of any regulatory requirements, but rather, our wider commitment to enhance the mitigation on site. Notably, no extension of the facility or further processing is proposed as part of the scheme. "The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) investigates environmental safety breaches.BBC News NI contacted NIEA about the latest protest but did not receive a response.