Burra’s on the nose

CONTINUING odour issues at the Burra Foods site in South Gippsland has resulted in EPA Victoria requiring the company to undertake works to fix the situation.
EPA Gippsland regional manager Elizabeth Radcliffe said the company was in the process of commissioning its new milk spray drying plant, which had been dogged by a range of issues.
“Commissioning started in June and since then EPA has received 17 reports from Korumburra community members expressing concern about the odour. Six of those have been in the last week. We understand the company itself has also received a number of complaints,” Ms Radcliffe said.
Ms Radcliffe said the commissioning was due to be completed today, however due to ongoing issues the company had sought a 120-day extension.
“This extension has been given to allow the work to continue, however it is not a free pass. The company must still not discharge any offensive odours beyond the boundary of its premises.
“As the current odour issues mean it has breached its licence the company has been issued with a Pollution Abatement Notice requiring it to undertake works on the wastewater treatment plant to treat odours generated there.
“This work must be undertaken while the commissioning work is being completed. Burra Foods must also evaluate the amount of waste being generated in order to minimise the load on the treatment plant. This is about finding the cause of the problem and fixing it.”
She said the community had a right to expect the company would not impact on its amenity.