A Limavady businessman claims his workers were forced to move from their offices at the Aghanloo Industrial Estate, outside Limavady because of the unbearable smell of nearby hen manure.
Sandy Arthur who runs Sandy Arthur Training Services Limited said he was horrified to discover a putrid, stinking "big black mountain" of the waste near his offices. It appears that the hen manure load had been dumped overnight. Mr Arthur said, "The smell was so bad they could not work there" and that he had to move workers from their office at the rear of the building to another office.
Depending on which way the wind blows the smell can be unbearable and, unlike slurry manure, the stench lingers for days, he complained, "It just stays all the time." Limavady Borough Council is investigating the incident and the Department of Environment for Northern Ireland is also making enquiries. A Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) spokesperson emphasised that, "The storage of manures is subject to the Nitrates Action Programme Regulations (Northern Ireland) SR 2006/489. These Regulations are also one of the Cross Compliance Statutory Management Requirements and farmers claiming Single Farm Payments and other direct payments are required to comply."
