The principal of Cabragh Primary School in County Tyrone, Louise Quinn, has spoken out about the bad smell emanating from a nearby compost factory that is impacting the children’s wellbeing. The rural school is located around a mile away from the Northway Mushrooms plant where local residents have protested about the bad smell and the council is investigating “potential breaches.” Poultry litter compost is produced at the site located in Kileeshil, however, the company declared to “operate to the highest standards” and recent government odour assessments uncovered “no issues”. On the other hand, the school and a nearby Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) club have confirmed there have been instances when the smell has prohibited children’s activities.
Anthony McGonnell, a board member of the school and Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) club chairman, Colm Rafferty are among those voicing their concerns about the factory that has recently gone into administration. The local authorities have received over 150 letters of objection against the plant’s yard expansion plan and the enforcement action is yet to commence. Meanwhile, the site continues to operate on a regular basis even though the company has gone into administration. The odour issue has been raised in a letter from Mid Ulster Council’s Environmental Health Department and ongoing investigations have confirmed its presence.
Northway Mushrooms is one of the critical pillars of the agri-food industry and sustains many jobs in the area, thereby a planning application is filed to extend the yard for additional bale storage and equipment. The company has mentioned that the extension is part of their “commitment to improving the operational performance of the facility.” The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) confirmed there had been no breaches or enforcement actions against Northway Mushrooms, and it continued to monitor the situation.
Local residents have demanded the issue to be addressed as soon as possible. Mid Ulster Councillor Kevin McElvogue stated that linking the smell to slurry was insulting to the farming community and demanded that the smell should be dealt with soon. The NIEA, though detect the odour, attributed it to land spreading slurry. For the school and the club, the operating factory is a constant source of bad smell prompting them to lodge their complaint with authorities, however, it remains to be seen how the case will evolve in the future.
The story highlights the significant impact of odours from such factories that can generate challenges for both operations and people’s livelihoods. Whether it is farming communities or others, such smells can significantly impact the quality of their activities and health. Moreover, firms must work productively and safely in partnership with communities and focus on creating value and sustainability goals
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