Moy Park faces a fine of GBP4,000 (US$5,420) after pleading guilty to charges of failure to comply with the conditions of a pollution prevention and control permit.
The charges were related to permit violations at its facility at 170 Larne Road in Ballymena, Northern Ireland.
According to a press release from the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), inspectors from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency visited the site between July 1, 2024, and July 11, 2024, and discovered multiple breaches of the permit, related to the country’s Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations.
Those offenses were listed as:
Failure to handle and store animal byproducts within suitably leak-proof covered receptaclesFailure to maintain all plant and equipment in good operating conditionFailure to store all Category 3 materials in enclosed binsFailure to notify the chief inspector without delay of any fugitive emissions which had caused, was causing or may have caused significant pollution.
The fine was imposed on July 23 at a hearing in Ballymena Magistrates’ Court. The company was directed to pay the order in full within three months.
Moy Park is a part of Pilgrim’s Europe’s operations. During the past year, the company processed 260 million broilers, making it the third largest poultry producer in the United Kingdom and the tenth largest in Europe. Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation acquired Moy Park in 2017.