Penrith residents are being invited to visit the Omega Proteins site on the outskirts of town and see for themselves the improvements the company has completed.
The invitation has been made in response to a petition launched by Penrith resident Jeff Thomson, which calls for Penrith and the Border MP Neil Hudson to take action over the “smelly air” caused by the animal rendering plant at Wildriggs.
A spokeswoman for the Environment Agency told the Herald that it had received 149 complaints about Omega Proteins in the last three months.
Mr Thomson, who leads the Fresh AIR for Penrith campaign, said that within the first couple of days of being launched online, the 38degrees petition reached 150 signatures, mostly local people.
Dr Hudson thanked Mr Thomson for his “passionate” campaigning on the issue for many years, but questioned the need for a petition urging him to act.
“I’ve been in regular correspondence with Mr Thomson. I’ve met with him personally and made representations on his behalf to the Environment Agency, Omega Proteins, and local councils,” said the MP.
He said he had met with the managing director of Omega Proteins, and continued to meet regularly with the local council and Environment Agency about the “important situation”.
“I was therefore disappointed to see that Mr Thomson had initiated a petition inferring that I have been inactive on this issue and not represented my constituents.
“As someone who is proud to represent our brilliant communities across Penrith and the Border, regularly stands up for better environmental protection in the Commons chamber and as a member of the EFRA Select Committee, I am more than aware of this situation we experience in Penrith and am passionate about the vital need for clean air. And, I would like to take this opportunity to reaffirm my support for the people of Penrith in improving the air quality.
“As such, I continue to work with all stakeholders and residents to ensure that everything that is possible is done to eradicate the odour from the site.
“I would encourage constituents who have complaints about odour in the Penrith area to report this to the Environment Agency, on their 24-hour incident hotline 0800 80 70 60. This helps in the monitoring and actions to mitigate the issue.”
A spokesman for the Leo Group, which owns and operates the Omega Proteins site, said: “We would be delighted for MP Neil Hudson, plus other residents, to visit our Penrith plant, so they can see first-hand the recent, sustainable improvements, that have already been completed.
“These upgrades include a new raw material trailer shed, automated washing systems and onsite species separation.
“We have also made energy efficient improvements, including building enhancements and a heat recovery system, which in the current economic climate is imperative.
“Water recovery systems and reed bed filters – which means our waste water is cleaner than that of major utility companies that discharge to rivers – are benefiting the environment.
“We are also actively investigating the possibility of implementing a district heating system, which can provide sustainable heat to the local community.
“Our odour hotline – where we attend calls within 20 minutes to check and verify the existence of perceived odours – is still operational. This has proved the existence of other odour sources in the area, which we are often wrongly blamed for. As a reminder this is number 07976 857435.
“As an indication, there have been less than 15 calls over the summer period, with 13 having no smell at the time of attendance. And of the two where there was an odour, we were able to quickly identify the source.
“We operate in a heavily regulated industry and our operation is monitored by the Environment Agency. We work closely with the local officers to keep them informed of our on-site progress.
“The public need to understand that with the food they take for granted, there’s by-products which have to be processed. The products we make go for use in products such as pet food, biodiesel, (HVO) airplane fuel and fish feed.
“We take our position within the Penrith community seriously. We bring employment and benefit the local economy.
“We are determined to reduce our impact on the local and wider area. We want to be a good neighbour, and stress that we are implementing all-known odour technology to the site.”
