MARTON, New Zealand (CU)_In November last year, the world’s biggest food company Nestle was issued two infringement notices by the Horizons Regional Council, one of which was in relation to an objectionable odour that was being emitted by its Rangitīkei pet food plant. In a recent statement, the company claimed that it was surprised by the odour complaints, despite the fact that the stench had been a long-standing issue.
Nestle Oceania said it had changed its processes and ordered new equipment in response to the complaint, but according to Tony Hewitt, a former real estate agent in Marton since 2009, the stench at the pet food factory had been an issue since 2017. He noted that the objectionable odour is smelt from the plant regularly if he was nearby. “It was absolutely putrid. It is hard to explain what it is like. It burns your eyes,” he said. “It is absolutely offensive.”
According to Hewitt, the smell, which descends at various times during the day, blows off rather quickly, although it could be smelt as far as a kilometre away. He also revealed that his efforts to lodge a complaint with Horizons regarding the issue have been fruitless, adding that the problem may have been resolved faster if Horizons had responded better. “You would phone them, but they would never come out to check,” the former real estate agent said. “I’m not immediately affected, but I feel for the people there.”
Traditionally, Odour is one of the most difficult things for Horizons to monitor, since it would require staff to physically monitor the issue before considering any regulatory action against the entity. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the council said on Wednesday that it could not comment on complaints since they would be part of an investigation.
