Lough Neagh: BBC investigation uncovers violations in Moy Park

Moy Park in Northern Ireland has breached environmental laws more than 500 times without ever being prosecuted, a BBC Spotlight investigation has found.

Documents submitted to Stormont’s Department of the Environment show that the company exceeded legal limits hundreds of times at three different sites.

The agri-food company, valued at over £1 billion, is Northern Ireland’s largest private employer.

Moy Park said all industrial waste water was strictly controlled and treated before discharge and that it was subjected to additional treatment by Northern Ireland Water before being discharged into waterways.

Industrial wastewater refers to the liquid waste from factories and businesses that typically ends up in the sewer system.

The discharges can cause severe environmental pollution and are subject to strict environmental protection regulations laid down in permits for the discharge of industrial waste water.

These are overseen by the Stormont Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).

If companies exceed these limits, they may be committing a criminal offense.

As part of a wider investigation into pollution in Lough Neagh, BBC Spotlight has examined thousands of environmental documents submitted by Moy Park to the regulator since 2017.

The documents revealed hundreds of violations by the company of its commercial wastewater disposal permits.

Sampling by Northern Ireland Water found that Moy Park exceeded legal limits for a number of potential contaminants, including ammonia and hexane extractables such as oils, fats and lubricants.

Andrew Muir, Northern Ireland’s agriculture and environment minister, told BBC Spotlight he was “very concerned” after the programme told him of the results.

“I will write to Moy Park and ask for an explanation of the situation you describe. This cannot continue.”

The environmental agency, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), operates within DAERA.

When asked why the regulator had not pursued the violations earlier, Muir said he would expect answers from his officials.

Moy Park told BBC Spotlight that if its commercial wastewater disposal permit is breached, a fee must be paid directly to NI Water to ensure further treatment of the water before it is discharged into a water body.

It further stated that the algal bloom in Lough Neagh was a complex problem that could not be attributed to any particular sector.

The company said it was “committed to working with all partners in line with a science-based approach to preserve the vitality of Lough Neagh”.

Activists fear that breaches of permits for industrial effluent discharges, sewage discharges and agricultural pollution are combining to encourage the growth of toxic cyanobacteria in Lough Neagh.

Last summer, the lake experienced blooms of toxic blue-green algae, and there are already signs that they are returning.

Moy Park, owned by American agri-food giant Pilgrim’s, has several factories in Northern Ireland.

The company recently sponsored the Belfast Marathon and has advertised at high-profile sporting events, including the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The company’s sites in Dungannon, Ballymena and Craigavon ​​are located in the Lough Neagh catchment area and all sites reported multiple breaches of their industrial effluent disposal permit.

Industrial waste water discharged from these sites is normally additionally treated at one of Northern Ireland Water’s (NIW) wastewater treatment plants.

This is to ensure that the wastewater does not harm the water body into which it flows.

However, NI Water told Spotlight that some of the wastewater at its sites is discharged before it can be treated.

Raw sewage and untreated industrial wastewater escape from the plants 25,000 times a year.

NI Water stated that “discharges from commercial sites in excess of the permit conditions during the operation of storm overflows pose an additional risk to the environment.”

It blamed historical underinvestment for the deficiencies in its network and said the leaks could not be stopped without additional, sustained investment.