A new application for a pork rendering facility in Laverton North has raised concerns among Brimbank residents, who fear it could worsen ongoing odour issues in the area.
Submitted by JBS Pork Pty Ltd to the Environment Protection Authority (EPA), the application requests permission to construct the facility at 52-58 Pipe Road, which would neighbour the company’s current abattoir facility.
It comes as residents in the Sunshine area continue to report a strong odour believed to be coming from one or more meat-processing plants in Brooklyn — an odour they describe as resembling rotting meat.
Brimbank resident Liz Barrow said she would prefer the proposed facility to be built further away.
“The fact that [the EPA] can’t even identify the source of the current odours… I’d say it’s pretty concerning that [the facility] is even being considered,” Ms Barrow said.
“These odours severely impact the health and wellbeing of residents on a daily basis. We are unable to leave our homes, or when the odour is so strong that it is in our homes, it is inescapable and we have to leave the area.”
As reported by Star Weekly, JBS Australia was fined more than $7500 by the EPA in 2016 for allowing a manure-like odour to leave its Brooklyn site.
The proposed plant in Laverton North is set to only process porcine by-products and do so at a rate of 15 tonnes per hour.
A JBS Pork Australia spokesperson said the new facility would feature a full-capture odour control system that treats 100 per cent of process and ventilation air through engineered biofilters, along with enclosed material transfers to prevent odour-prone products from being exposed to the open air.
“JBS Pork Australia is committed to operating responsibly and supporting community amenity in Melbourne’s west,” the spokesperson said.
“Our goal is simple: a state‑of‑the‑art facility that supports local jobs and industry while protecting community amenity.
“We are working closely with EPA Victoria and [Wyndham] council and will continue to engage the community as we progress the project“.
The EPA invited community members to look at the proposal and submit feedback by 11 March.
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