Residents say milk factory smells like ‘rotten eggs’

People living near a milk powder factory have said more needs to be done to tackle a “pungent odour like rotten eggs” which is coming from the site.

Residents of Artigarvan, County Tyrone, said they had been concerned about the smells coming from the Lakeland Dairies plant in the village for around five years.

Some people are now planning to move away because of the stench, which has been described as “worse than slurry”.

The factory owners said they were “reviewing a small number of complaints” connected to a smell “noticed on occasion around our site”.

The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), which investigates environmental safety breaches, said it had received 58 complaints about the smell, noise and dust coming from the factory in the last 12 months.

The agency has issued three enforcement notices to the company over the same time period.

Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle’s North West Today programme, Ruth Campbell from the Artigarvan Environment Group said concerns had been raised directly with the company a number of times.

“For the past five years we have had a thick pungent odour like rotten eggs sweeping through the air in Artigarvan,” she said.

“We feel like we are hitting a brick wall every time we raise the smell officially.

“No one is helping us.”

Ms Campbell said some people were even taping their windows shut to keep the smell out and that some parents were not letting their children play outside.

She said some children even get “teased about living in smelly Artigarvan”.

Residents believe the smell is coming from the factory’s effluent plant.

Charlene Austin said the smell was “worse than slurry”.

“It’s like rotten boiled eggs,” she said.

“It hits the pit of your stomach. We can’t even open our windows or dry our clothes properly.

“We have been shouting about this a lot and are fed up to the back teeth.

“Something needs fixed now.”

Artigarvan resident Emma Kelly said trying to get the problem addressed had been “very frustrating”.

“We feel ignored in so many ways. We’ve kept a close eye during high milking season and low milking season and the same pungent odour is present.

“People are already selling their houses and they are going to struggle selling up. I know if I came into the area I’d turn the car,” she said.

In a statement, Lakeland Dairies said the facility was “among the most modern in the UK, Ireland and worldwide”.

The company said it had invested “significantly” in the Artigarvan plant, including the waste water treatment facility.

“The company works tirelessly to ensure the plant continues to meet all its legislative requirements and endeavours to meet the expectations of residents,” a spokesperson said.

“We are monitoring and reviewing a small number of complaints regarding a natural and safe odour that was noticed on occasion around our site in Artigarvan.”

Lakeland Dairies said it engaged regularly with local people and would continue to do so.

“This excellent relationship is not something we take for granted and we will continue to work closely with the residents and their representatives on issues of mutual interest,” the company said.

The NIEA said of the three enforcement notices one related directly to the odour, one was in connection to a breach of emission limits at the site’s effluent treatment plant and the third was related to a surface water breach.

“These notices have led to the company carrying out significant improvement works at the site, with more work currently ongoing”.

The agency said the work had included improvements to their effluent treatment plant, drainage on the site and containment of potential odour sources.

It said additional work required at the factory would be completed by the end of next month.