THE WORST OFFENDERS for breaching environmental laws have been named publicly by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The five sites are on the EPA National Priority Site List for enforcement. They are:

1. Arrow Group Limited, Kildare
2. Irish Cement Limited, Limerick
3. Rosderra Irish Meats Group, Edenderry, Offaly
4. T&J Standish Limited, Roscrea, Tipperary
5. Tipperary Co-operative Creamery Limited, Tipperary

The five industrial sites have been warned to improve their environmental performance or face further sanction. Three of the five sites account for over half of all complaints received to-date in 2017.

Commenting on the National Priority Sites system, Director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement Gerard O’Leary 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.

Inspections

The EPA Industrial and Waste Licence Enforcement Report 2016 states over 1,500 site inspections were completed last year and 95% of which were unannounced.

Over 1,000 complaints were received about licensed facilities and 66% related to odour nuisance.

The top five sites most visited were facilities in the waste sector, however the highest level of non-compliance were facilities in the food and drink sector. Programme Manager, EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement Mary Gurrie said:

It is not acceptable for licensed sites to cause nuisance, or to cause an impact on the environment. These operators face further enforcement action.

Some €178,000 in fines and costs were paid from 11 prosecutions concluded in 2016.

Members of the public can access enforcement information such as site visit and monitoring reports for licensed sites on the EPA website.

Read: The EPA is taking legal action after the lime leak at the Poolbeg incinerator>