Adelaide Hills community anger over stench from Neutrog fertiliser factory at community meeting

Living with a strong pong, Hills residents have taken their fight with a fertiliser factory to the next level and there’s more than mud flinging.

Adelaide hills residents Peter Roberts, Lou Duncan, Margi Dunn and Jenny Tundale are able to smell the Neutrog stench of fertiliser poo from their homes. Picture: Morgan Sette

Rising tensions over foul odours emanating from a fertiliser factory in the Adelaide Hills have escalated, with claims of a “physical confrontation” targeting young employees and an angry public meeting.

A self-appointed community committee of residents is demanding immediate action, saying they are still suffering from the almighty poo pong a year after they first raised the issue.

Neutrog managing director Angus Irwin refused to attend the meeting at Callington Hall on Friday night, saying it would have been “seen to condone the actions of this small group”.

He also prevented staff from attending.

Mr Irwin said two young employees “were subjected to very frightening verbal abuse and a physical confrontation in Kanmantoo” earlier in the week.

“This follows a lengthy campaign of threats ... and abuse that has been continuously directed at Neutrog staff members, board members and me,” Mr Irwin said.

“Apart from the threats, the group have personally and privately made it very clear to us that they have no interest whatsoever in working with Neutrog to resolve any issues but, rather, their primary, undeclared agenda is to see all or part of Neutrog closed down.”

Police confirmed they were “aware of an incident involving Neutrog employees, and the investigation is ongoing”, a spokeswoman said.

Kanmantoo residents Peter Roberts, Lou Duncan, Margi Dunn and Jenny Tundale say they can smell the factory from their homes. Picture: Morgan Sette.

The meeting’s organiser, Peter Roberts, of St Ives, said the group was not small and the hall was “as full as it could be given the Covid-19 restrictions” with about 60 people present.

“You could feel the anger in the community at that meeting and it was very well attended,” he said.

“It absolutely puts a lie to the rubbish that Irwin is spreading about this whole thing being driven by two or three lunatics who want to see him shut down. It’s not the case.”

Mr Roberts would not comment on the alleged physical confrontation involving others, except to say information from the company was untrue and there was video footage to prove it.

He said local Liberal MP Adrian Pederick and the independent candidate for Hammond, Airlie Keen, also spoke at the meeting.

Environment Protection Authority officers attended to meet community members and discuss their concerns.

Many of these are addressed in the eight-page Q&A on the EPA website, which states it has assessed the odour as “generally intermittent and short in duration but can be very strong when present”.

“Community complaint data demonstrates there is an odour problem,” the EPA says. “The EPA is conducting further assessments and reviewing complaint data to determine any noncompliance.”

Neutrog has until December 31 to submit an odour environment improvement plan to the EPA.