Minister Decides Inglewood Appeal
Environment and Labour (to April 1/08)
February 10, 2005 8:38 AM
Inglewood Farms in Truro will have to follow strict new
guidelines that address community concerns over odour when it
begins storing and spreading industrial waste from the nearby
Maple Leaf rendering plant, Environment and Labour Minister Kerry
Morash said today, Feb. 10.
The minister announced his decision today, Feb. 10, on an appeal
made jointly by Inglewood Farms and Maple Leaf Foods last
October.
Approval for the farm to store and spread municipal biosolids was
suspended last September. In the appeal, Maple Leaf and Inglewood
laid out a process they believe will address concerns about odour
which led to the suspension.
Under the new plan, Inglewood will no longer accept any municipal
waste, it will implement a new direct-to-surface application
method, and it will not apply material on weekends or during the
summer months.
Maple Leaf will also install a number of groundwater monitoring
wells in key locations, and will hire an environmental co-
ordinator to help Inglewood Farms with odour control.
The Department of Environment and Labour will make the odour
control strategy part of the terms and conditions of the approval
and will monitor it closely to ensure compliance.
"I'm pleased with the steps the company has proposed. They're
reasonable and will allow the activity to continue in a manner
that will meet our guidelines and the terms and conditions of its
approval, including odour control," said Mr. Morash. "This is a
safe practice that works well in other places, and can work
properly here, too."
Mr. Morash said the department will remove the biosolid material
currently being stored in the lagoons on Inglewood Farms. This
will ensure no stabilization takes place on the property. It was
this process that prompted many of the odour complaints in the
past. The department's new Guidelines for Storage and Land
Application of Biosolids, approved last May, no longer allow
material to be stabilized on site.
The biosolid material being removed from Inglewood Farms was
received in November 2003, before the guidelines were revised.
"Since we no longer allow the company to process municipal waste,
we believe the right thing to do is to have the material removed
ourselves," said Mr. Morash.
Environment and Labour has contracted Atlantic Industrial
Services to dispose of the material. The removal should take
about four weeks.
"Our primary interest continues to be keeping the community well
informed," said Mr. Morash. "That's why we required Maple Leaf to
consult on this plan. And that's why I will be convening a
science forum, where experts will be invited -- by us and by
other stakeholders -- to discuss the science on biosolids and
their application."
Inglewood will be allowed to begin accepting material from Maple
Leaf as soon as the biosolids mixture currently in the lagoons
has been removed. No land application is allowed in the province
until the spring.
FOR BROADCAST USE:
A farm in Truro that had been allowed to apply municipal
biosolids on land will be allowed to store and spread industrial
waste from Maple Leaf's meat rendering plant.
The announcement comes today (February 10th), following a
decision by Environment and Labour Minister Kerry Morash.
The amended approval will require Inglewood Farms to follow
a number of new conditions. It will no longer accept any
municipal waste, it will implement a new direct-to-surface
application method, and it will not apply material on weekends or
during the summer months.
Mr. Morash says the steps the company has proposed are
reasonable and can allow the activity to continue in a manner
that will meet guidelines including odour control.
Environment and Labour has contracted Atlantic Industrial
Services to dispose of the biosolid material that has already
been stored in the lagoons on Inglewood Farms.
-30-
Contact: Valerie Bellefontaine
Environment and Labour
902-424-2575
E-mail: bellefva@gov.ns.ca
Adele Poirier
Environment and Labour
902-424-6427
E-mail: poiriea@gov.ns.ca
jal February 10, 2005 8:37 A.M.
Inglewood Farms in Truro will have to follow strict new
guidelines that address community concerns over odour when it
begins storing and spreading industrial waste from the nearby
Maple Leaf rendering plant, Environment and Labour Minister Kerry
Morash said today, Feb. 10.
The minister announced his decision today, Feb. 10, on an appeal
made jointly by Inglewood Farms and Maple Leaf Foods last
October.
Approval for the farm to store and spread municipal biosolids was
suspended last September. In the appeal, Maple Leaf and Inglewood
laid out a process they believe will address concerns about odour
which led to the suspension.
Under the new plan, Inglewood will no longer accept any municipal
waste, it will implement a new direct-to-surface application
method, and it will not apply material on weekends or during the
summer months.
Maple Leaf will also install a number of groundwater monitoring
wells in key locations, and will hire an environmental co-
ordinator to help Inglewood Farms with odour control.
The Department of Environment and Labour will make the odour
control strategy part of the terms and conditions of the approval
and will monitor it closely to ensure compliance.
"I'm pleased with the steps the company has proposed. They're
reasonable and will allow the activity to continue in a manner
that will meet our guidelines and the terms and conditions of its
approval, including odour control," said Mr. Morash. "This is a
safe practice that works well in other places, and can work
properly here, too."
Mr. Morash said the department will remove the biosolid material
currently being stored in the lagoons on Inglewood Farms. This
will ensure no stabilization takes place on the property. It was
this process that prompted many of the odour complaints in the
past. The department's new Guidelines for Storage and Land
Application of Biosolids, approved last May, no longer allow
material to be stabilized on site.
The biosolid material being removed from Inglewood Farms was
received in November 2003, before the guidelines were revised.
"Since we no longer allow the company to process municipal waste,
we believe the right thing to do is to have the material removed
ourselves," said Mr. Morash.
Environment and Labour has contracted Atlantic Industrial
Services to dispose of the material. The removal should take
about four weeks.
"Our primary interest continues to be keeping the community well
informed," said Mr. Morash. "That's why we required Maple Leaf to
consult on this plan. And that's why I will be convening a
science forum, where experts will be invited -- by us and by
other stakeholders -- to discuss the science on biosolids and
their application."
Inglewood will be allowed to begin accepting material from Maple
Leaf as soon as the biosolids mixture currently in the lagoons
has been removed. No land application is allowed in the province
until the spring.
FOR BROADCAST USE:
A farm in Truro that had been allowed to apply municipal
biosolids on land will be allowed to store and spread industrial
waste from Maple Leaf's meat rendering plant.
The announcement comes today (February 10th), following a
decision by Environment and Labour Minister Kerry Morash.
The amended approval will require Inglewood Farms to follow
a number of new conditions. It will no longer accept any
municipal waste, it will implement a new direct-to-surface
application method, and it will not apply material on weekends or
during the summer months.
Mr. Morash says the steps the company has proposed are
reasonable and can allow the activity to continue in a manner
that will meet guidelines including odour control.
Environment and Labour has contracted Atlantic Industrial
Services to dispose of the biosolid material that has already
been stored in the lagoons on Inglewood Farms.
-30-
Contact: Valerie Bellefontaine
Environment and Labour
902-424-2575
E-mail: bellefva@gov.ns.ca
Adele Poirier
Environment and Labour
902-424-6427
E-mail: poiriea@gov.ns.ca
jal February 10, 2005 8:37 A.M.