News
Environmental Update (October 2009)
Abattoir Fined for Waste Breaches
A beef, pork and lamb abattoir has been fined nearly £28,000
after admitting breaching trade effluent limits.
Any liquid waste from a business that is to be discharged to sewer,
surface or ground water, or onto land, is known as trade
effluent unless it is domestic sewage or clean,
uncontaminated surface water.
The Surrey-based abattoir admitted 10 counts of breaching trade
effluent concentration limits and one of failing to install and
maintain equipment to measure effluent discharges.
Guildford magistrates imposed fines of £2,500 for each of the
effluent breaches with a further £2,680 penalty for the remaining
offence. Legal costs of £1,242 and investigation fees of £4,384
were also awarded to Thames Water, who brought the prosecution
under the Water Industry Act 1991 after tests
found that the abattoir, between July 2007 and April 2008, had put
more than the permitted levels of certain substances down its
drains.
Levels of ammonia nitrogen, a compound found in urine, were found
on one occasion to be up to 9 times higher than they should have
been. Settleable solids, including bone particles, hooves and
gristle, were recorded up to more than 5 times the allowed limit,
while fat and oil from the carcasses were 7 times the permitted
levels on one occasion
This case serves as a warning to other companies that the
regulators will not hesitate to take action if a business is
disposing illegal levels of waste into the sewerage system.