Permission granted for Chinese-backed €40m meat processing plant in Banagher

An Bord Pleanála has granted planning permission for a €40 million Chinese-backed meat processing plant for Banagher, Co Offaly.

The appeals board green light comes almost two years after resident and self-described “lifelong environmentalist” Desmond Kampff and co-appellant Gwen Wordingham lodged an appeal against Offaly County Council’s decision to grant permission for the proposed plant at a site located at Boheradurrow and Meenwaun, 3km southeast of Banagher.

The number of animals to be slaughtered at the plant is to be 36,000 a year and the board granted planning permission after its inspector in the case, Stephen Kay, found that “the proposed development would not be likely to have a significant negative environmental impact in terms of climate”.

The appeals board granted planning permission after concluding that the proposal would be in accordance with national and regional policy on development in rural areas and the promotion of the agricultural sector and the rural economy.

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The appeals board also found that the meat processing plant would not, pending the adoption of sectoral emissions plan, be contrary to the provisions of the Climate Action Plan 2021.

The board also found that the proposed plant would not seriously injure the visual amenities of the area or have a significant negative impact on the lands and would not depreciate the value of properties in the area.

The board accepted the proposed plant would not give rise to a risk of pollution.

Plans were first lodged in July 2019 for the meat processing facility that would have the capacity to process 40 tonnes of meat per day and have the capacity to cater for 140 cattle per day.

The board said that the scheme would have a positive impact on the local and wider economy.

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Mr Kay recommended that planning permission be granted in January of this year but the board in February requested that the applicants provide a response to assess the climate change impact of the development.

In response, Banagher Chilling Ltd said that neither the total emissions from the development or the emissions as a percentage of reduction targets were significant.

The company also said the national herd was increasing by 1.5 per cent annually to a total of 7,314,400 in 2020 and the proposed development would require around 36,000 animals per year but the national herd was increasing by around 110,000 every year so there would be demand for the plant to cater for.

In his response, Mr Kampff contended that the requirement of 36,000 cattle annually represented approximately a third of the projected increase in herd numbers annually and questioned whether this was a viable plan going forward

Mr Kampff further argued that the conclusions reached by Banagher Chilling regarding the non-significance of the development in climate impact terms were not accepted and do not take account of the fact that emissions would have to fall to meet national climate targets.

: “We are a group of concerned local people who fundamentally believe there is no justification for the development of a facility of this scale at this location, ” Mr Kampff said in his original appeal.