More than 100 attend protest against Killeeshil mushroom plant

MORE than 100 people have attended a public protest against plans for an extension to a controversial mushroom plant in Killeeshil.

The Cabragh Concerned Residents Association and members of Killeeshil GAA staged the picket outside the premises of Mid-Ulster Council in Dungannon on Friday.

It comes ahead of the Council’s planning meeting on Monday night when plans for an extension to the plant could be approved.

The CCRA held the peaceful protest to demonstrate their dismay that further approval may be granted. They want councillors on the planning committee to refuse planning.

“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.

Former Dungannon councillor and Killeeshil GAA President, Anthony McGonnell, who was among those in attendance at the event, said both the club and local schools were both adversely effected by the stench coming from Northway Mushrooms.

“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, who acquired the facility in October 2024, acknowledged the concerns of residents regarding the odour.

It said that the £1.2 million investment in an ‘odour control facility’ was 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.

“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’.