Children 'vomiting' at side of pitch over factory smell

A protest in May was connected to a new planning application linked to the factory

A Gaelic football summer camp for children in County Tyrone has moved venues because of what organisers say is a "horrendous smell" which they believe is coming from a local compost factory.

Work at the factory in Killeshil involves the mixing of hay, chicken litter, and water to create a compost for mushroom growing.

The site is owned by Sawgrass Substrates Ltd (SSL), following Northway Mushrooms going into administration in 2024.

In a statement, the company said it wished "to reassure the community that it remains fully compliant with all statutory requirements and operates strictly within the parameters of its relevant waste licenses".

A spokesperson for SSL said: "The company is committed to being a responsible neighbour and takes all feedback seriously."

One parent said children have vomited at the sidelines of a nearby GAA club due to the smell.

People who live close to the factory in Killeeshil previously claimed their lives are being affected by a bad smell which, which they said was coming from the facility.

In March 2024, residents protested outside Northway Mushrooms saying they had been living with the smell for years.

Months later, the local school and GAA club said the smell was still affecting children's everyday lives.

In May, members of the Cabragh Concerned Residents Association (CCRA) held another protest, this time outside Mid Ulster District Council's offices in Dungannon.

A crowd of more than 200 people gathered to voice concerns about new planning proposals for the factory.

A football summer camp has been running during at St Mary's GFC, which is close to the factory.

On Tuesday evening, the GAA said it felt it had "no other choice but to relocate".

In a social media post, the club said: "In the interests of the safety of our 90 children attending the camp and the 12 Tyrone coaches, who have been exposed to the most horrendous smell over the past two days from Sawgrass/Northway, we feel like we have been left with NO other choice but to relocate our Tyrone Summer camp."

The summer camp has been moved to the Tyrone GAA Centre in Garvaghey for the remaining two days of activities.

'Unhealthy for my daughter'

Parent Collette McPeake says "there's been kids vomiting along the sidelines of this pitch here because the smell has been so horrendous"

Local parent Collette McPeake says the smell was "absolutely horrendous" on Monday and Tuesday.

"I decided that it's just unhealthy for my daughter to actually play sport in that smell. It was just so heavy and I was worried about her health."

She described the smell as being like "rotting vegetables" and said other people think it's like "dead chickens that have been lying".

"It make you feel nauseous, and there's been kids vomiting along the sidelines of this pitch here because the smell has been so horrendous."

"It's really unfair that these children have to play in those levels of smell and the odour is just so strong," she said.

'Rotting material'

Ailis Cullinan-Keown, from St Mary's GFC, says everyone is "disappointed" and "frustrated"

Ailis Cullinan-Keown, from St Mary's GFC, describes the smell as "pungent" and "strong".

She says the facility is creating compost by "rotting material" and is "using chicken litter so it is exactly what you'd imagine chicken litter is going to smell like".

"It means that our club and our facilities are not able to be used in the way that we hoped and planned for," she said.

"It's a big inconvenience to parents," she added.

"Everyone is just so disappointed but so frustrated because it's not like this is an isolated incident. It's not as if this is the first time that something like this has happened. We've had to cancel trainings, matches before."

She said her son went out to play football on Tuesday evening and "came straight back into the house" because the smell was "too bad".

'Lack of engagement'

CCRA said SSL "has not engaged on odour issues in over two years, despite thousands of community complaints - nearly 250 in the past month alone - all explicitly sent to Sawgrass along with Northern Ireland Environment Agency and Mid Ulster District Council, and all ignored".

"This stands in direct contradiction to their public claim that they take all feedback seriously and are committed to ongoing communication with the community and authorities," a spokesperson for CCRA said.

The club said the decision was a health and safety issue

Case review

BBC News NI contacted Mid Ulster Council regarding concerns that had been raised about the factory odour.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the council said: "Given the lengthy period and extent to which the council has received complaints in relation to this site, the council is currently undertaking a complete case review of this matter.

"It is anticipated that the case review process in respect of alleged statutory nuisance will be completed by the autumn."

Members of the CCRA have also raised concerns about works at the SSL factory, scheduled for August.

In a letter to Mid Ulster Council, SSL representatives said the intervention was "critical to resolving an emerging operational issue within the current biofilter system", but added that "a temporary and localised increase in odour may occur during the removal of the existing media and initial conditioning of the replacement system".

Longer-term plan

CCRA has raised concerns the works will "entirely disable the facility's sole line of defence against uncontrolled odour emissions".

It has called for all operations at the facility to be fully suspended during the maintenance window.

SSL confirmed there were works planned between 4 and 15 August, which would see maintenance carried out on the biofilter.

It said this work was "critical for the long-term effectiveness of its odour control system".

A spokesperson said: "While a temporary and localised increase in odour may occur during the removal of existing media and the initial conditioning of the replacement system, every effort will be made to minimise any disruption to the community.

"This planned maintenance is a proactive measure to improve and maintain the facility's environmental performance."

SSL said it had a longer-term plan in place which would involve an additional biofilter.

The spokesperson added: "Sawgrass Substrates Ltd continues to work diligently to manage and mitigate any potential odour impacts from its operations. We are aware of the ongoing case review by Mid Ulster Council and will cooperate fully with their process.

"We are dedicated to ongoing communication with relevant authorities and the local community as we strive to maintain the highest environmental standards."

A Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) spokesperson said SSL had informed the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) of planned maintenance to the biofilter system.

They added that the NIEA was continuing to receive reports about smells at the factory.

"The NIEA will maintain its regulatory oversight of the SSL facility throughout the maintenance period," the spokesperson said.

"This includes ongoing compliance checks and odour assessments.

"Should any non-compliance be identified, the NIEA will take appropriate and proportionate action in accordance with the Daera Enforcement Policy."