Confidence in rendering plant abidance
An environmental watchdog is confident a proposed Washdyke rendering plant can meet its obligations despite its parent company having a history of compliance issues in Taranaki.
New Plymouth-based Southern Proteins Ltd is seeking 35 year consents from Environment Canterbury (ECan) for the discharge of contaminants into air as part of its proposed new rendering facility and associated site operations on the outskirts of Timaru.
It will appear before an ECanappointed independent panel in Timaru on Monday and Tuesday.
According to the Companies Office, Southern Proteins’ ultimate holding company is Taranaki
By-Products Ltd, which the Taranaki Regional Council singled out in a 2016 meeting for its poor environmental compliance record.
TRC’s monitoring report of Taranaki By-Products in 2014-15 said the company was rated as ‘‘improvement required’’ due to several breaches of consent requirements.
However, TRC chairman David Macleod said since then Taranaki By-Products had spent a lot of money to improve its practices.
‘‘Taranaki By-Products has
made the appropriate changes . . . I have confidence that ECan, as a regulator, would be able to ensure that it operates on best practice,’’ MacLeod said.
‘‘This will be a modern-day plant which will have less risk to the environment.’’
Taranaki By Products Ltd holds 11 resource consents for its animal rendering operation on Kohiti Rd, Okaiawa, allowing it to take and use water, discharge to the Inaha Stream and a tributary, discharge emissions to air, and for structures in a watercourse and to realign a watercourse.
TRC director for resource management Fred McLay said it had been monitoring this company’s environmental performance over a considerable period of time.
‘‘There were a number of prosecutions in the early days, the most recent being 15 years ago (2005) and relating to objectionable odour. The company was fined $5000,’’ McLay said.
‘‘In more recent years, the council notes that the company has made considerable investment in equipment (biofilter) and expertise that have resulted in much improved environmental performance overall, though minor issues do still arise from time to time.
‘‘The local community around the plant has a generally positive attitude towards the company.’’
McLay said the company’s operation was ‘‘of considerable importance and scale’’.
‘‘It processes up to 800 tonnes a day at its Taranaki plant, with the normal throughput being 600 tonnes. We understand the proposed Timaru plant would be much smaller,’’ he said.
ECan received 25 submissions on SPL’s proposed rendering plant consents, with 20 of them against, two in favour and three neutral.
In his submission to ECan, which will be circulated at the hearings, SPL general manager Gordon Henderson said the proposed Washdyke plant would operate under a thorough Environmental Management Plan (EMP).
‘‘The proposed plant has been designed to achieve better than current best practice in terms of not only efficient processing capability but most importantly odour control,’’ he wrote.
‘‘Detailed controls are proposed to be included in the consent conditions and contingencies are in place to ensure that the Odour Control Systems (OCS) operates effectively, and as designed.’’
‘‘Taranaki By-Products has made the appropriate changes . . . I have confidence that ECan, as a regulator, would be able to ensure that it operates on best practice.’’
David Macleod, Taranaki Regional Council chairman