Tipperary Co-operative Creamery and Arrow Group are two of six sites identified as National Priority Sites by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) following complaints made about industrial/waste odours this year.

The EPA today (Monday, October 19) published its latest National Priority Sites List, and published updated information on the enforcement activities of the EPA during the first nine months of 2020.

The EPA has revealed that it found that half of all complaints received during the first nine months of 2020 were in relation to activities at four licensed industrial and waste sites.

Six sites were identified as National Priority Sites for the period from April to September 2020, from three sectors – waste, food and drink and the chemical sector.

Four of these sites, including Tipperary Co-op, Arrow Group, Merck Millipore Ltd and Limerick Gasworks accounted for 51% of all industrial/waste odour complaints in 2020.

Three sites have been removed since the EPA last published the list in July 2020 – Merck Millipore Ltd, Raffeen Landfill Site and Greyhound Recycling and Recovery.

‘Most EPA licence holders work hard’

The continued poor compliance status and presence of Arrow Group as a National Priority Site remains a “serious concern to the EPA” and the facility is the subject of ongoing enforcement action.

The Arrow Group includes the activities – at a licenced site – of: Dawn Farm Foods Ltd; TCFG Naas Ltd (also known as The Culinary Food Group); QK Coldstores Ltd; Dawn Farms Distribution Ltd; and Maudlins Waste Management Ltd.

Complaints to the EPA about licensed sites have increased dramatically in 2020, with 598 received in the first nine months of the year, compared to 225 in the same period last year.

Commenting on the publication of the latest list, Darragh Page, EPA programme manager, said:

“Most EPA licence holders work hard to protect the environment and comply with their licence.

“Sites can be added to the National Priority Sites List due to a failure to adhere to their license and the risk they pose to the environment. But, it should be noted that these sites account for less than 1% of the 800+ sites licensed by the EPA.”

The full list of National Priority Sites for the period April to September 2020:
  • Arran Chemical Company Ltd – Roscommon;
  • Arrow Group – Kildare;
  • Killarney Waste Disposal Unlimited Company – Kerry;
  • Limerick Gas Works – Limerick;
  • Takeda Ireland Ltd – Dublin;
  • Tipperary Co-operative Creamery Ltd – Tipperary.