A massive greenhouse gas leak at a Perth abattoir happened after an “unfortunate freak accident,” an MP has said.
Perth SNP MP Pete Wishart has met officials at multi-national meat processors ABP UK.
An issue with a refrigeration unit at the Perth site led to massive leak of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere from their Inveralmond Industrial Estate facility.
We calculated the leak was equivalent to the emissions produced by 7,573 Scottish citizen in a full year. That is more than everyone in Kinross.
‘Extremely unfortunate freak accident’
Mr Wishart said ABP officials explained the circumstances around the leak during his meeting.
He said: “What became clear from the visit was that this was an extremely unfortunate freak accident, caused by the blade of a fan falling on to and rupturing a pipe containing highly polluting F-Gas.”
F-Gas is short for fluorinated gas, a powerful greenhouse gas that has an even higher warming potential than carbon dioxide.
Mr Wishart said he was confident the company had acted to ensure such an event is never repeated.
“Notwithstanding the vast damage this caused, I was satisfied that ABP take seriously their environmental obligations.
“This has included switching from F-Gas to a natural-based refrigerant with no carbon footprint, as well as fitting new fans with plastic blades instead of metal.”
Environment watchdog ‘yet to offer recommendations’
The company told the MP officials at environment watchdog Sepa were yet to offer any recommendations as part of their investigation into the incident.
That is “despite the incident being reported to them immediately after it was detected,” the MP added.
“Regular and constructive dialogue between Sepa and industries is crucial in the race to net-zero.
“So I am now seeking clarity on when Sepa expect to complete their investigation and whether their findings will include recommendations for ABP to implement going forward.”
The gas leak at ABP UK in Perth was the second largest of its kind in Europe.
The company initially said in a statement that the leak was due to a “machine failure” at its Perth processing plant.
The leak accounted for 87% of Scotland’s total hydrofluorocarbons emissions in 2021.
It also sparked calls from campaigners for closer scrutiny of the entire meat production industry.
The meat processing plant is a major local employer, with hundreds of staff based at the Inveralmond facility.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said:
“Every year, the Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory (SPRI) provides a valuable picture of the amount of pollutants released in Scotland from Sepa regulated industrial sites.
“In February 2022 SEPA’s SPRI data identified a large release of F-gases from a meat producer, Anglo Beef Processors UK when the site submitted its Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory (SPRI) data returns for 2021.
“This resulted in a significant increase in this pollutant (around 112%) compared to 2020.”
He said a Sepa team began an investigation into the cause, which was related to the site’s refrigeration system.
“This investigation is currently ongoing and Sepa will determine whether any enforcement action is required as a result of its findings.
“The site has now installed alternative refrigeration technologies following engagement with Sepa.”
A spokesperson for ABP said they had no further comment to make at this time.
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