A CORNISH creamery which was fined £1.52 million in 2022 for discharging waste into a river and releasing a 'foul odour' which affected nearby residents has applied for a permit to increase production at its site.

Dairy Crest Ltd, owners of Davidstow Creamery has applied to the Environment Agency, requesting a permit variation that will enable it to increase production.

It wants to increase output from 9.6 tonnes per hour to 11.4 tonnes per hour, with the variation request also including 'operational updates and improvements including to the nearby effluent treatment works'.

In addition, the Environment Agency has itself applied for a permit variation to review the limits and parameters associated with the current discharge of treated waste water, and say they will ensure these variation changes sufficiently protect the nearby River Inny watercourse.

A consultation has been launched, offering residents a chance to have their say on the proposals.

The permit variations are limited to issues covered by the environmental permit, namely: general operation of the site, emissions to air and water, pollution to surface and groundwater, noise, and odour.

Once the initial consultation is completed, the Environment Agency says that if it thinks it may grant the permit variations, there will be additional consultations prior to a final decision being made on each variation.

The consultation is open until 5 pm on June 27, 2023, and can be accessed in the following ways: