A factory, alleged to be the source of an ongoing odour issue, breached or failed to comply with the terms of its environmental permit 40 times in the last five years.
These breaches by Omega Proteins, an animal rendering plant in Penrith, were revealed via Freedom of Information requests submitted by the BBC to the Environment Agency (EA).
Markus Campbell-Savours, the MP for Penrith and the Solway, said the so-called Penrith Pong was among the most common concerns he heard from his constituents since he won the seat this year, and that there had been a recent rise in the number of complaints.
He told the BBC: "It’s quite clear that it has been a difficult summer.
"The first thing I want is for those responsible and the Environment Agency to tell us what has gone wrong this summer and why it has been so bad."
In 2023 there were 1,367 complaints about foul-smelling odours and so far this year there have been 845, the EA told the BBC, but these complaints related to Penrith as a whole and not only the factory
In August this year, the Environment Agency released a community update on its investigation into the factory.
A spokesperson from the Environment Agency said at the time: “We are aware that Omega Proteins continues to be a source of concern for the Penrith community and surrounding areas.
“The Environment Agency continues to regulate the site in accordance with the permit and monitor the odour reports received.”
The number of odour reports that suggested Omega Proteins was the source of the odour was 185 in the first 12 days of August 2024 alone, higher than the total number of similar reports received in entire other months this year, such as 87 in the entire month of July, 106 in June, and 48 in May.
Jeff Thomson, who runs the Fresh Air for Penrith campaign, has repeatedly called for action against the issue, and said now it’s time for the EA to act, adding that it’s increasingly frustrating for no action to be taken despite the problem being acknowledged by various authorities.
He added that the people of Penrith are becoming increasingly disillusioned with the powers that be due to repeated complaints resulting in no concrete action to stop the pong.
The EA told the BBC that following an increase in reports in August, it inspected the factory twice, but did not find that it had breached its environmental permit, and: “We undertake regular site inspections which include auditing gas emission controls.
"There is more work to be done by the operator and we are in discussion with site management on managing odours."
A spokesperson from Leo Group, the parent company of Omega Proteins, said the factory is ‘one of only a few rendering businesses in the UK providing an essential service’ to the nation’s meat industry. to the UK’s meat industry.
“Visitors from around the globe, consisting of customers, suppliers, audit bodies, regulators, and members of the public, visit the site regularly, giving feedback that it is the most technically advanced rendering operation they have seen.
“Since Leo Group took over the operation in 2002, we have invested heavily to build a state-of-the-art plant that can be seen as a global benchmark for the rendering industry.
“Multiple odour abatement technologies - thermal oxidisers, biofilters and chemical scrubbers - are used, exceeding current industry standards and BAT (Best Available Technique) guidance.
“Additional back-up abatement equipment is already in place, with an additional oxidiser to be installed shortly, making this the most future-proof rendering site in the UK,” they said.
They added that there are various odour sources in Penrith, something also stated by the Environment Agency, including agricultural, industrial, and other regulated sites, and the total number of odour complaints received by the EA includes all in the area, not just those attributed to the factory.
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“It must also be emphasised that the number of complaints quoted are as reported, and have not been substantiated by the Environment Agency, leading to a distorted perception of actual numbers.
“This exaggerated figure is used against us by certain individuals whenever possible, to mislead the public and pursue their own agenda,” they argued.
The Environment Agency (EA) operates a ‘compliance classification scheme’ that categorises non-compliance into four groups, ranging from minor concerns with no environmental impact to serious issues causing significant harm.
Over the past five years, Omega Proteins has not been issued with any serious non-compliance notices.
Leo Group added that in 2020, one non-compliance was due to an unexpected failure of a 15-year-old oxidiser, which has since been replaced with a state-of-the-art model.
Another incident involved dry spots on less than one per cent of a biofilter, which did not cause any odour issues according to the factory, and a minor incident in recent years saw a small spillage contained within a bund and cleaned up within minutes, they added, concluding that the number of non-compliances has steadily decreased year-on-year from 2019 to 2023, with only four minor incidents recorded in 2023 and none so far in 2024.
Not all non-compliances related to odours, with some, like storm damage to the roof of a building in 2023, arising from unforeseen circumstances, they said.
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