A range of measures will be introduced at a Perthshire chicken factory in a bid to prevent unpleasant smells seeping into the neighbouring community, it has been revealed.
Details obtained by The Courier through the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act show that the 2 Sisters Food Group have been forced to install a plethora of changes to tackle the stench problem at their Coupar Angus factory.
This was due to a series of complaints about the 2 Sisters factory from local residents being directed to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). The environmental watchdog subsequently issued the food group with a final warning and ordered them to roll out an action plan, which was submitted by last Friday’s deadline date.
As a result, the 2 Sisters Food Group has drawn up detailed proposals, many of which should be in operation by the end of this month. These include the company installing new air pollution controls, creating an odour abatement plant and discharging “final” waste gases via a suitably designed stack.
Several areas at the east Perthshire site have been identified as being the “most odorous” by engineering firm Mabbett, who have drawn up the action plan for 2 Sisters. These have been identified as including the factory’s blood and sludge tank and the effluent treatment plant.
In a report issued by Mabbett regarding the action plan, Michael Lynch, the company’s manager of process engineering, said: “Mabbett are not suggesting each of these areas are leading to odorous emissions beyond the site boundary — only that they appear to represent the highest risk areas on the site from an odour perspective, based on work undertaken to date.”
Mabbett’s document also highlights concerns over drains at the east Perthshire chicken processing factory, stating these need to be cleaned to prevent “excessive accumulation” of odorous materials. Mabbett also state that 2 Sisters will prepare an external effluent drain maintenance programme, which will see a weekly visual assessment of external effluent drainage points, carrying out a weekly drain flush with warm water and cleaning agent and an annual cleaning by a suitably qualified waste removal organisation.
This ‘standard operating procedure’ is to be completed by November 11.
The report also notes that the effluent treatment plant at the Coupar Angus site is an “odorous area” and reveals that its fire exit door is “occasionally” left open. Mabbett also state that while the offal plant room is generally enclosed, a trailer “protrudes” from the building leaving the adjacent roller door entrance as a “potential” source of odour egress.
Mr Lynch commented: “The action plan will primarily focus on the application of best available technique across the site for the control of odorous emissions, in what Mabbett deem to be the priority areas.”
However, Michael Gallagher, who lives near the 2 Sisters’ Coupar Angus factory, feels the action plan falls short of solving the stench problem.
“Many of the requirements appear to be nothing more than carrying out standard maintenance, such as keeping drains clean, which makes me wonder why the company wasn’t doing this already,” he said.
“All we can do is hope that things will improve.”
