Rosderra Meats and Tipperary Co-operative Creamery Limited have been named on a list of five industrial sites to be placed on the EPA National Priority Site List for enforcement. The initiative was launched yesterday, to drive further environmental compliance at industrial and waste facilities.

Licensed facilities with the poorest compliance status are identified as National Priority Sites for enforcement, according to a statement released by the EPA. A scoring system is operated where points are allocated to each site based on compliance data, such as complaints, incidents and non-compliances over the previous six months.

The compliance issues for Rosderra stem from noise emissions from the facility, the EPA have reported that a 'significant level' of complaints have been made. Odour complaints are also being investigated by the EPA.

The compliance issues for Tipperary Co-op Creamery Limited are in relation to how waste water and run-off from the site is being managed, resulting in a potential risk to the River Ara.

Tipperary Co-op released a statement to the Irish Farmers Journal, "Tipperary Co-op can confirm that we are working closely with the EPA to close out two compliance investigations in relation to the site. We have conducted a review of our environmental management systems and we are currently undertaking a significant investment to upgrade and improve environmental performance of the facility. In the last month Tipperary Co-operative Creamery Ltd. completed a comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment for the site and we envisage that the upgrade works will be completed by year-end."

In a statement released by the EPA, the director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement said: “A small number of sites have significant compliance issues and we consider them to be National Priority Sites for enforcement. The EPA will escalate enforcement action against companies, and their directors, if necessary, if compliance does not improve.”

The full list of companies placed on the National Priority Sites List includes Arrow Group Limited Kildare, Irish Cement Limited in Limerick, Rosderra Irish Meats Group in Edenderry, T and J Standish Limited in Offaly and Tipperary Co-operative Creamery Limited in Tipperary.

The 2016 report

The EPA also released its 2016 EPA Industrial and Waste Licence Enforcement Report yesterday. The report focuses on the enforcement of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) industrial and waste-licensed facilities in 2016.

During 2016, 1,552 EPA site inspections were carried out, according to the report – with 95% of these inspections unannounced. Breaches in regulations resulted in fines totalling €178,630 being paid.

Over 35% of intensive agricultural sites were visited last year, these sites are made up of pig rearing/fattening units and poultry rearing/fattening units.

Twenty-five sites were identified as being a National Priority Site during 2016, with the food and drink and waste sectors having the largest proportion (eight sites each) of National Priority Sites.

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