With David Davis MP in Spaldington with Compost maturation heap in the backgroundAt a meeting with Spaldington residents today I was informed that yesterday morning (Sat) the local composter had been removing 'composted' material from his farm buildings to maturation heaps in the fields near his farm. These movements are thought to have caused the foul smell that engulfed the area. I was also informed that the composter gave a two fingered greeting to the residents as they slowed their vehicle to observe what was happening.
The meeting was after I’d received a number of calls and emails from Spaldington residents regarding the smell being generated by the movement of this so called compost, especially on a Saturday so close to the Christmas holiday.
I have subsequently spoken to Environment Agency and also the ERYC Public Protection.
The current position regarding composing in the Spaldington Area
At the beginning of November I attended a meeting with a number of Spaldington residents and Jan Davie, the Environment Agency’s Environment Manager for East Yorkshire. This was a very productive meeting where the Agency was able to provide feedback on their activities and listen to the concerns of the community.
The Agency have since began a full audit of the composting and land spreading activities carried out at a Spaldington Farm which is to include an investigation of the types, quantities and source of all the material taken in over the last twelve months. Although some of the concerns relate to animal health issues and the risks associated with importing animal wastes into a farming area, which are not directly under the control of the Environment Agency, assurances have been given that the Agency are in regular contact with the Animal Health Agency (formerly the State Vets Service) and are committed to raising residents concerns.
A working group consisting of those agencies with regulatory responsibility for the composting industry has been established, these include representatives of ERYC’s Planning, Animal Health and Environmental Health, the Animal Health Agency and the Environment Agency. It is acknowledged that it is vital these organisations work together in this area to deal with residents concerns. This group met for the first time on 28th November.
It has been confirmed that ERYC Environment and Transport Overview and Scrutiny Committee is have the opportunity to scrutinise the regulation of the Agricultural Composting issue as per the motion at it’s meeting to be held in March.
14 comments:
Paul, thank you for giving up your Sunday morning to investigate the latest developements in the Spaldington composting saga. Your support and all the work that you have done on the scandal of composting in Howdenshire are very much appreciated.
Have a peaceful Christmas!
Christmas Eve 9.45pm
It absolutely stinks of waste compost again. Went to investigate source – the smell is very bad along the lane north of the western set of compost heaps (from where there are red double gates on both sides of the road westwards to the culvert for East Goit Sewer). It also smells on the lane near the source farm. Are the doors on the east side of the composting shed being left open on dark foggy nights when no-one can see, or has he been tipping waste compost on the maturation heaps again today?
Another nasty smell around Spaldington composting. It's a holiday week, so what do we have? A planing application from Ivy House Farm posted by ERYC planners just before Christmas with the closing date for objections on January 3rd. Seem familliar? - Well they tried exactly the same trick to stiffle opposition over the August Bank Holiday when the last application from Ivy House Farm was put on the planning committee agenda. Coincidence? Well maybe, but if it looks like a rat, smells like a rat and squeaks like a rat it very probably is a rat!
A Christmas Tale....
A visitor on CHRISTMAS DAY in my garden commented that some of the rats we had complained about and had been poisoning must have died in the garden as she could smell rotting flesh.Those of us who knew better replied "oh no thats the compost." I am sure the various agencies would still tell us that the odour is not bad enough to warrant a complaint but our guest who is not aware of there guidelines considered it quite unacceptable.You do not know from one day to the next when we will be invaded by odour,so someone please tell me how will i know when it will be safe to hold a bbq this summer?Can we borrow someones garden from the enviroment agency?Perhaps if they had to spend time living with the smell there opinion of what is acceptable might change.Did i register a complaint on christmas day? Such is my disgust as to how we have been treated i did not .THANK GOODNESS FOR THIS BLOG!!!
This blog is very one sided Mr Robinson and you've not put the other side to the tale on. Despite us giving you the chance to print our comments. Maybe it's time to take you to the Standards Board and to Court. It's worked for other composters.
A very interesting post, are you actually threatening me here?
I was elected to represent Howdenshire residents - including the dozens and dozens of residents of Spaldington, Wressle, HOSM, Brind, and Eastrington who have contacted me on this issue since the election in May of last year, many of whom do feel threatened.
As you will know I have taken the issue to the ERYC full council by way of the motion which was unanimously approved (detailed elsewhere on the blog). This is the democratic process, the same process by which I was elected.
Not all comments are published because of space, bad language, or potentially libellous content.
Anonymous said one sided blog,5th comment. Tell us are you composting? are you composting to all regulations? are you telling the truth? I was taken to the standards board, suspended for two weeks, this was for following stinking trailer loads of so called compost to fields that did not belong to the composting farm whom is taking waste materials under exemption to the waste management licence. The compostor knew I was getting to close to the truth about the operations carried out at his site. The compostor has not stopped me from campaigning to safe guard the health of humans, animals and the environment. It seems to me and all the campaigners that the farmers at composting sites have little regard to anybody but themselves. Open up your sites and allow the public access and question you about your operations. Have meetings with the public on a regular basis, give us information about your operations. This may help form a working relationship with the public, composting companies and the regulators. I will continue to campaign against this vile operation at all composting sites, until the regulators, the composting site operators and government get it right and the general public effected by the operations are satisfied that their Health is not effected, their human rights are not effected, animals are protected and the environment is kept safe for the future of mankind.
As far as I can see 'the other side of the tale' is pretty straightforward. Take a few greedy people who want to make a fast buck, a few regulations that are just asking to be broken and what have you got? How on earth can anyone justify that???
This situation is now going beyond the ridiculous. You really couldn't make it up!
Even more fed up has left a new comment on your post "Christmas Stink for Spaldington Residents":
In Spaldington we are witnessing lorry load after lorry load of stinking waste being delivered to a local composting site usually under the cover of darkness and at weekends (for example 7 loads in the space of 24 hours on the 5th & 6th January!) - would any of these local composters like to explain why so many loads are being accepted and where it is being stored because I and many others are completely baffled?????
Surely there is a limit as to how much can be taken because of the time it takes to process it and surely there is a limit to how much can be stored outside. People round here want some answers.
Jan 26 2008
I see on Ceefax tonight that the Environment Agency have revoked the licence they had issued Waste Recycling Group for the incinerator being built at Salt End “over fears of the amount of pollution it would cause”.
So why on earth can the Environment Agency not revoke the exemptions they have issued the Spaldington composter which were conditional on his “operating the site to comply with the conditions of the exemption and the relevant objectives” which state that “waste must be … disposed of without endangering human health or causing harm to the environment and in particular without:
1 Risk to water, air, soil, plants or animals
2 Causing nuisance through noise or odours
3 Adversely affecting the countryside “
I really can't understand why someone said that they are greedy? What would you suggest happens to all humanities waste? Shall we open some more tips or shall we burn it an add to the ever growing toxic and harmful gases that are speeding up 'global warming' its puzzles me where you all think your waste goes, before and after use. Everyone seems so enthusiastic about recycling until it comes to them.
A Valentine’s Day message to the Spaldington composters
Roses are red
Violets are blue
Sugar is sweet…..but
Oh, do you pooh !
They are greedy because they don't give a damn about the environment or about the global warming issue- they just want to make lots of cash without any thought for the consequences. When you run a business (as I do) - you not only have rights (i.e. to make a profit) but you also have responsibilities both to the community and to the environment in which you operate. I have no problem with waste composting being run as a legitimate business but it has to be done according to the legislation and regulations just like every other business in the UK. The problem here is that for some reason these people are being allowed to do as they like and the consequences for us all could be potentially life threatening. The Oxford Dictionary gives this definition for 'greed' ; "an excessive desire for (food) or wealth". I think this describes these people very well don't you?
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