The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has noted a “continued pattern of noncompliance in a small number of sites”, with odour being a persistent problem.
Its 2025 sector enforcement summary, published today, reveals that odour emissions and discharges to water remain the most common compliance issues at licensed sites.
The agency got 1,181 complaints from the public last year, covering 117 licensed industrial and waste sites, with most complaints relating to odour emissions. The food and drink sector accounted for 51 per cent of all complaints received by the EPA during 2025.
Just five sites accounted for nearly two-thirds (59 per cent) of all complaints received. The EPA “has investigated these sites and is taking appropriate enforcement actions”.
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Pamela McDonnell, programme manager in the EPA office of environmental enforcement, said that although the overall level of compliance continues to be good, the consequences of noncompliance can be “significant” for the environment and those living locally.
“Operators must be good neighbours by preventing nuisance odours from impacting on people in their local communities. The EPA will continue to take action where odour nuisance occurs, including escalating enforcement measures,” she said.
“Site operators must run their facilities without causing nuisance by applying all appropriate odour‑control measures and, where needed, investing in additional odour‑control infrastructure.”
The EPA carried out 1,681 inspections at 656 licensed sites across all 26 counties in 2025. This was an increase of 28 per cent compared with 2024. Ten sites, or 1 per cent of all licensed sites, were identified on their national priority sites list for last year.
Sites in the waste sector had the highest rates of noncompliance with EPA licence conditions in 2025, particularly anaerobic digestion sites, non-hazardous waste transfer stations and landfill sites. Some anaerobic digestion sites had persistent issues relating to the control of odour emissions.
Emissions to water remain a compliance challenge across a limited number of sites. The EPA says corrective actions are being actively enforced at sites that pose a risk to water quality. One site was directed to cease their effluent discharge in November of last year until corrective actions were taken.
The number of odour complaints made to the EPA has almost doubled since 2024, with figures going from 388 to 753 in 2025. There was a total of 162 odour impact assessments carried out at 59 different licensed sites.
Four of the 10 national priority sites for 2025 were in Cork. They included North Cork Co-Op Creameries Ltd, Ted O’Donoghue and Sons Waste Disposal, Timoleague Agri Gen Ltd and Era Eco Ltd. Other priority sites included Wicklow-based Alert Packaging Ltd; the Arrow Group Ltd and Future Pig Ltd, both based in Kildare; Kingspan Building Products Ltd in Cavan; Kingspan Insulation Ltd in Monaghan; and Tipperary Co-operative Creamery Ltd.
The sites were listed as priorities for issues such as emissions to air, odour, noise control, infrastructure and management, emissions to water and site operation and management.
North Cork Creameries in Kanturk was inspected 50 times by the EPA in 2025. Earlier this month, the farmer-owned co-operative ceased production with the potential loss of up to 100 jobs. It followed the suspension of its wastewater discharge licence for the second time in 90 days by the EPA.
The co-op was investigated by the EPA following a major fish kill in the river Blackwater in Co Cork in August of last year. However, the agency found no causal link between its discharges and the death of the fish.
