Persistent pollution costs beef business £57k

Repeated pollution of a watercourse bordering its premises in Worcestershire has cost A&A Rodenhurst Limited, which operates an intensive beef-rearing business at Wadborough Park Farm near Pershore, £57,000 in fines and costs

Worcester magistrates also issued a court order requiring the company to bring its slurry and silage storage facilities up to minimum industry standards and to undertake other improvement works to protect the local water environment. All of these works must be completed by 30 June 2014.

The court was told that on site visits in late 2011 and early 2012 officers from the Environment Agency found a large slurry lagoon located too close to the watercourse, in contravention of legislation designed to ensure the protection of the environment from agricultural operations.

A second slurry lagoon in use at the farm was also below standard, and a silage store lacked the necessary effluent collection and storage infrastructure.

Remedial work undertaken by A&A Rodenhurst to prevent further pollution of the watercourse was unsuccessful, and work to improve slurry and silage storage at the farm was deemed to be insufficient. In March 2012, the company was served with a legal notice requiring specific works to bring the relevant farm infrastructure up to industry standards. The firm failed to comply with the notice.

A&A Rodenhurst was fined £37,000 and ordered to pay £20,000 in costs after pleading guilty to four charges under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2010 and the Water Resources (Control of Pollution) (Silage, Slurry and Agricultural Fuel Oil) (England) Regulations 2010.

Wadborough Park Farm is also subject to an abatement notice, which was issued by local authorities in February 2012 because of the persistent odour problems at the site. An appeal against the notice was rejected in August 2013, with costs were awarded against the company.