Residents living in proximity to the pizza cheese manufacturing facility in Aberarad, Carmarthenshire, have expressed their discontent with the “unbearable” and “detrimental” odour it emits.
This facility, operated by Dairy Partners Ltd, produces a staggering 400 tonnes of pizza cheese every week and has been on the receiving end of grievances related to noise and olfactory disturbances.
Furthermore, Dairy Partners Ltd has drawn criticism for the construction of a new waste treatment plant, which was undertaken without the requisite planning permissions. A spokesperson for the site has stated that they have taken measures to address the complaints, emphasizing the necessity of these actions due to the previous treatment equipment’s failure, which resulted in substantial additional expenses and raised concerns about the quality of river water.
According to Natural Resources Wales (NRW), the site has garnered a total of 380 complaints in the years 2022 and 2023, with the majority being related to issues of noise and odorous emissions.
One resident said: “We just suffer with it and we’ve had enough. The smell is unbearable in the summer time. It’s 100% affecting our quality of life,”
In 2019, Carmarthenshire Council provided Dairy Partners with preliminary advice regarding their proposed effluent treatment plant, before the planning application process. Despite this advice, work on the treatment plant commenced during the clearance of the designated area.
This ultimately resulted in an enforcement complaint, although the council explained that the absence of site visits during the COVID lockdowns at the time precluded any immediate action. Ordinarily, under different circumstances, a site visit might have prompted a temporary halt to the ongoing construction.
A spokesperson for Dairy Partners Ltd contended that the company has earnestly strived to be a considerate neighbor, emphasising their commitment to the community.
NRW indicated that the effluent treatment plant had been constructed and operated without the required environmental permit approval. However, the permit was subsequently modified in March of this year to include the facility within its scope.
A representative from Dairy Partners conveyed that consultations with neighboring residents had occurred before the construction of the new treatment plant at the Aberarad creamery. The spokesperson also mentioned that actions were taken by the company in response to odour complaints, and that NRW had been actively involved in this process. Dairy Partners made it a point to address odour complaints promptly, often on the same day they were reported.
Additionally, the spokesperson underscored the company’s commitment to being a considerate neighbor and highlighted that they had invested in soundproofing measures, even though a noise survey conducted in 2020 did not identify any issues.
