Five out of 11 sites identified by the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) as National Priority Sites for enforcement last year were in the food and drink sector, a new report shows.
The agency’s latest Industrial and Waste Licence Enforcement Summary details that these National Priority Sites included four co-op facilities and a Kildare based food company.
According to the EPA the National Priority Sites system allows it “to identify which industrial and waste licensed sites should be prioritised for enforcement based on their environmental performance”.
The new report published by the EPA today (Tuesday, March 26) highlights that the agency carried out more than 1,200 inspections at 535 licensed industrial and waste facilities in 2023 – 91% of these were unannounced.
There were 22 prosecutions concluded last year by the agency which resulted in fines of €137,750 and costs of €245,047 being imposed.
This also included “the first successful District Court prosecution for the extraction of peat without a licence from the EPA”.
EPA
According to the agency odour and noise complaints accounted for 90% of all complaints to the EPA in 2023.
Dr Tom Ryan, director of the EPA’s office of environmental enforcement said the increased focus on the improvement of odour and noise management at EPA licensed sites has resulted in a “significant reduction in the number of complaints received”.
The EPA uses its National Priority Sites system to “focus its enforcement effort” at the worst performing sites in the country.
It publishes a National Priority Sites list on a quarterly basis based on data for the previous six months.
The agency highlighted in its latest Industrial and Waste Licence Enforcement Summary that in 2023, it adopted “a strategic approach” to dealing with Local Authorities in relation to peat enforcement.
It also continued enforcement of unauthorised peat extraction activities throughout the year.
“The EPA has been and will continue to hold those operators to account,” it stated.
According to the agency there were also:
- 14 rehabilitation plans submitted by Bord na Móna under the Peatlands and Climate Action Scheme (PCAS), covering 4,289 hectares across five counties;
- 30 requests for information under Section 63(1) of the EPA Act to 5 Local Authorities where unauthorised peat extraction is occurring;
- Engagement with five Local Authorities to progress enforcement actions.
Meanwhile the EPA also noted in its latest report that the launch of the Licence and Enforcement Access Portal (LEAP) had “transformed the way in which the public can access environmental information concerning licensed sites with already almost 100,000 page views in 2023”.