Key meeting tonight to discuss mushroom plant extension

“STOP the stink!’ This was the overwhelming message from protestors outside Mid-Ulster Council offices in Dungannon at the weekend.

More than 100 representatives from the Cabragh Concerned Residents Association (CCRA) and members of Killeeshil GAA gathered at the local authority’s HQ on Friday in a vocal demonstration against the planned expansion of a controversial mushroom plant in Killeeshil.

Holding placards and repeatedly chanting, ‘Stop the stink,’ the angry locals were expressing their outrage over ongoing odour issues linked to the Northway Mushrooms facility. The protest took place ahead of a key planning committee meeting tonight (Monday), where Mid-Ulster councillors could yet give the green light to the plant’s application for a new extension.

The CCRA has called on the council to reject the plans outright.

“The odour emanating from this plant has such a detrimental impact on our community, including our school and football pitches and community centre,” said Colette McPeake from the CCRA.

Also at the protest was Anthony McGonnell, President of Killeeshil GAA and a former Dungannon councillor, who condemned the lack of action over the last six years.

“This has been a major problem in our community for a number of years,” he said. “There doesn’t appear to be any action taken or plans to mitigate against the problems which we in the local area have been highlighting for six years.

“The plans by Northway Mushrooms are wrong in our view. For us, the only long-term solution for this is that the plant closes. Northway claim that this extension will help address the problem of the odour, but we have heard numerous promises in recent years and they have not addressed the problem. There has been nothing positive (that) has happened.

“Planning enforcement should have taken action much sooner in relation to this problem.”

Sawgrass Substrates, which took over the Northway Mushrooms facility in October 2024, acknowledged the concerns raised by residents but insisted that they are making strides to address them.

In a statement, the company said the proposed £1.2 million investment in an “odour control facility” is part of its “proactive commitment to the local community.”

“We maintain full compliance with all environmental requirements with both the NIEA and local council, investigating all complaints on a regular basis and that also includes unannounced spot checks,” a spokesperson said.

“Sawgrass Substrates has invested significantly in advanced odour reduction technologies, including enclosed processing systems, air filtration and biofilters, (which) continuously optimises our operations.” The company said that it also commissions regular audits, confirming compliance with all environmental and health requirements, ‘finding no public health risk.’