West Wiltshire District Council first turned down RJ Compton & Sons’ application for an Integrated pollution prevention and control (IPPC) permit in 2005.
Under PPC regulations introduced that year, Fairfield Piggeries would have needed a permit because it has the capacity to render more than 10 tonnes of material per day. The council argued the farm lacked the "competence and management systems" to comply with the conditions attached to a permit.
The farm appealed against the decision but an inspector appointed by the Environment Department (DEFRA) has upheld the council’s position.
The rendering plant’s capacity will now have to be halved to 10 tonnes before it can resume operating. This level is permitted if the product is for agricultural use and not sold.
Local environmental health officer Graham Steady says the farm has been prosecuted for breaching abatement notices on several occasions. It is only a few hundred metres from the nearest houses and sometimes blankets the whole town with odour.
