Karalee & Barellan Point Action Group Inc


GROUP's BACKGROUND

Karalee & Barellan Point Action Group Inc. (KBAG) was formed in July 1999 after a public meeting hosted by the Karalee Progress Association, about environmental problems caused by Australia Meat Holdings (AMH). Local residents had been complaining to AMH about foul odours, loud noise day and night, water pollution, and excessive lighting for some years prior to this date. AMH is sited at Dinmore, which is on the southern side of the Bremer River from our suburbs.

AMH operates one of the largest meat-works in the Southern Hemisphere and is wholly owned by ConAgra – a huge American conglomerate. This organization has a budget of billions of dollars. Over most of the three years since this company started to upgrade the abattoir to a kill rate of from 800 to 3500 head a day, they appears to have operated outside its license conditions. Impacts on neighbours are 24-hour pollution by odours, noise, and illumination, and residents fear the potential dangers of Q fever. It appears AMH has released poorly processed effluent into the Bremer River, which drains into our unique Moreton Bay. These problems are therefore a vital concern not only to local residents, but also to the whole of the greater Brisbane area. Complaints to AMH, the Environmental Protection Agency, and numerous representations to our Queensland State Premier, Mr Beattie, various Government Ministers, and the media, have brought little respite.

AMH first applied for an upgrade of an existing abattoir at Dinmore in 1996. Their noise and odour consultants said that they would be able to operate according to environmental guidelines. In 1997 their application to upgrade was approved by the Ipswich City Council. In the same year, AMH submitted a voluntary Environmental Management Plan (EMP) to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which was approved.

Since this time, it appears the abattoir has been emitting foul odours, excessive noise day and night, discharging polluted water into the river, and using excessive lighting. Complaints by residents to AMH were supposed to be relayed to EPA (and may have been), but we are told that the EPA did not initially visit the site. Our newly formed action group first registered a formal complaint to EPA on 26/7/99, and on 29/7/99 AMH lodged a voluntary EMP to EPA. This then made them more immune from prosecution even though they have been found to be operating outside their license conditions. EPA told our group that they several times sent the EMP back to AMH for improvement. After 14 months of this, on 21/9/00, EPA served two separate Environmental Protection Orders (EPOs), one for Noise and one for Odour, on them. These orders basically supported the provisions in the original license, and agreed in nearly every detail with our group’s requests.

We understand AMH then applied for a review by EPA. Those members of EPA who had not been involved in the previous negotiations did this, and the original orders were upheld. We understand AMH then appealed to the Planning and Environment Court. The judge made some interim orders, and told EPA and AMH to negotiate through a formal negotiation process. A negotiation hearing is expected in April, and a final court appearance and decision in June or July 2001.

During rainy periods in December 2000, and in February 2001, large amounts of what appeared to be untreated storm water runoff entered the Bremer River from AMH site. We have photographs. An AMH representative, Mr Don Ferguson was reported as saying that the water was legal and clean. However, we have been informed that tests have shown that the water contained high levels of nutrients and bacteria. At the end of February, we are informed the EPA conducted a full environmental audit of the Dinmore site and has been suggested that AMH was found to be not in compliance with their license conditions in over 40 areas (not including noise and odour!).

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