Dawn Meats Ireland Unlimited Company has been ordered to pay fines totalling €75,000 after the processor pled guilty to 25 environmental charges relating to its failure to comply with the industrial emissions license granted to it.

Judge Kevin Staunton fined the company €3,000 for all 25 charges and awarded full costs to the EPA at Waterford District Court on Monday.

Dawn Meats pled guilty to non-compliances to the conditions of its industrial emissions license over a range of dates.

It failed to comply on two dates with its licence limits for oils, fats and greases emissions to an effluent discharge point.

Further charges related to Dawn Meats' failure to comply with organic emissions to an effluent discharge point.

Dawn Meats did not notify the EPA of non-compliance as soon as was practical on seven dates, which in itself constitutes a further failure to comply with its license conditions.

False or misleading information

It was also convicted of supplying the EPA with false or misleading information in a material respect on six dates.

These charges related to environmental monitoring information provided to the EPA and declarations that the information was truthful and accurate.

Further charges the processor pled guilty to concerned failure to take measures to restore compliance with its licence conditions on three dates.

'No adverse environmental impact'

The case arose from emissions of effluent being transferred within the site and did not lead to any adverse environmnetal impacts, a spokesperson for the processor told the Irish Farmers Journal.

“The legal proceedings relate to historical reporting and emissions levels in internal transfers of effluent to the main effluent treatment plant on site.

"No adverse environmental impact arose as a result of these incidents and reporting procedures have since been reviewed.

"New protocols have been implemented in line with EPA licensing requirements.”

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