A Victorian cheesemaker has been fined over an offensive odour “strong enough to cause discomfort when facing into the wind”.
Yering cheesemaker Yarra Valley Dairy was fined $9087 by the state environment regulator for a foul smell that wafted over neighbouring properties in the Yarra Valley wine country.
Environment Protection Authority officers described the smell as a “sour milk odour with earthy characteristics that at one location downwind of the premises became increasingly uncomfortable to be near”.
The fine was for the company failing to comply with an EPA request to improve its wastewater treatment to stop odour escaping the premises.
EPA northern metropolitan regional manager Jeremy Settle said the company was given several months to comply.
The regulator first issued a notice in May 2021, but after it was challenged in a tribunal, an amended notice was issued in October.
But when EPA officers attended the property in December, they found it wasn’t being complied with.
“The odour on St Huberts Rd was strong enough to cause discomfort when facing into the wind,” Mr Settle said.
“The company had complied with some of EPA’s requirements, but not all, and the odour was still there.
“It was still causing unreasonable impact to the community.”
Mr Settle said the case was a message to all businesses that if they received an EPA remedial notice, it had to be taken seriously.
“It’s there to protect the community and the environment, and everyone running a business must understand their responsibilities,” he said
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