Dendermonde (Brussel Morning Newspaper) – Empro Europe in Dendermonde was fined €120,000 for persistent odor nuisance and environmental breaches, but the poultry waste firm will remain operational.
The business is also required to reimburse 37 civil parties for damages of 2,400 euros each. However, the business is permitted to carry on with its operations.
Feathers, blood, and poultry legs are among the animal byproducts processed by Empro Europe, a company based in Dendermonde, Belgium. Locals have been complaining about a severe odor problem on the Hoogveld industrial estate in Dendermonde since it began in 2015.
The enterprise is only 200 meters from the closest residences.
Empro has been found to have neglected to invest in its installations for years by the Ghent Division of the Court of First Instance in East Flanders. Between 2020 and 2024, inspections frequently found infractions, including improper storage of animal byproducts and noncompliance with permit requirements.
Additionally, an unlawful wastewater discharge was built in May 2024.
An impartial specialist claims that odor emissions were found up to 1,100 meters away. The nuisance was deemed “unacceptable” by the environmental inspectorate and the Flemish Environment Agency.
Despite a fresh authorization in 2022 and the installation of a 38-meter-tall chimney, the court determined that Empro had not adequately rectified the nuisance.
“A normally prudent operator would suspend part of the operation in the event of persistent nuisance,”
The court stated.
“Empro did not do that, and opted for an economic consideration over compliance with environmental regulations.”
But there was no operating ban. The court considers recent initiatives, including a decrease in odor emissions and biweekly smell assessments by an impartial expert. The court finds no indication of a clear reluctance to stop the annoyance in the future.
Empro was given an effective fine of 120,000 euros by the court. Furthermore, 29,388 euros were deemed forfeited due to unlawful financial gain.
Empro is required to reimburse 37 civil parties for damages of 89,500 euros, or 2,418 euros per party. Empro pays 1 euro in damages to the city of Dendermonde.
What measures will Empro Europe need to implement to reduce odour issues?
Creating and routinely evaluating a thorough OMP that incorporates procedures for source identification, incident response, odor monitoring, and reduction tactics. The environmental management system of the facility ought to incorporate this plan.
To limit fugitive odors, buildings should have negative air pressure, odorous waste storage and treatment spaces should be enclosed or covered, and biological treatment procedures like compost management and aeration should be optimized to minimize the production of odors.
installing odor-reduction devices to clean exhaust air before releasing it into the environment, such as scrubbers, activated carbon filters, or biofilters.
Implementing continuous odour monitoring to track odour concentrations and guarantee adherence to emission restrictions (usually between 200 and 1000 ouE·m−3 for waste treatment) using standardized techniques (e.g., dynamic olfactometry per EN13725:2003).
