odour investigation wadborough park farm public meeting wychavon district council 17 th november...
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ODOUR INVESTIGATION WADBOROUGH PARK FARM
Public Meeting Wychavon District Council
17th November 2011
Complaints Summary• 64 complainants
• Approximately 300 reports of odour
• 10 officers involved in investigation
• Approximately 800 officer hours
• Multi-agency working with The Environment Agency, Animal Health and Defra
Timeline• June 2011 – complaints received by WRS regarding
odour in Stoulton area• July 2011 – Cleansing Services Group (CSG) relocated
operation on farm further away from Stoulton• August 2011 – manure store/slurry pit emptied and
ploughed in following identification as odour source• September 2011 – gypsum noted as being used as
bedding material during visit with EA• October 2011 – visit to farm with agricultural odour
specialist• October 2011 – ceased use of gypsum as bedding• November 2011 – CSG operation on farm suspended
OVERVIEW
• Complaints from residents in Hawbridge, Stoulton, Claverton and Littleworth
• All contacts logged and comments recorded• Wadborough Park Farm identified as the source
of the problem• Wadborough Park Farm is a large scale beef
farm with up to 3000 cattle• Little history of odour complaints in previous
years at this location
Potential Sources of Odour
• Cleansing Services Group – injection of septic tank waste
• Manure store/slurry pit
• Use of gypsum as bedding material
• Use and impact of spring onion leaf as cattle feed
Outcomes of investigation
• Relocation of CSG operation on farm• Manure store/slurry pit emptied and
ploughed in• Increased frequency of scraping out of
soiled areas of livestock buildings• Improved level of housekeeping in
livestock buildings• CSG ceased operation at Wadborough
Park Farm beginning of November
Report from agricultural specialist -recommendations (if problem persists)
• Increased frequency of cleaning of livestock buildings
• Consider covering the manure store/slurry pit or use of an anaerobic digester
• Follow the Code of Practice for manure spreading
• Consider keeping animal feed in covered tanks/silos
Legal Background
• Environmental Protection Act 1990• Smell from agricultural units and
agricultural land exempt from odour provisions
• Only act if odour caused by animals not being kept properly
• Animal Health visits show husbandry standards are acceptable, no significant issues
Other considerations
• Very dry weather conditions
• WRS taking informal action due to consistent cooperation by farmers during the investigation
• Regulator’s Compliance Code – phased approach to enforcement
Ongoing Activities
• Targeted daily monitoring by WRS officers after withdrawal of CSG from Wadborough Park Farm
• Sending regular email updates to residents
Next Steps
• Maintain communication with farmer to give WRS advanced warning of farming activities which may cause odour: emptying of slurry pit, slurry spreading etc.
• Continue to liaise with other agencies
• Continue to respond to complaints
• Proactive monitoring
Contact Details
Steve Jorden (Head of Regulatory Services)
s.jorden@worcsregservices.gov.uk
01527 881466
Lisa Roberts (Community Protection Manager)
lisa.roberts@worcesregservices.gov.uk
01527 548267
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