Wangaratta sausage skin manufacturer Van Hessen Australia has been issued two further notices by EPA Victoria over the odour problems that have been impacting the local community.

Van Hessen plans to desludge their wastewater treatment ponds which will eventually lead to better odour control, but in the short term, may produce more odour. EPA has issued an improvement notice in relation to the proposed desludging activity and an improvement notice about the functioning and integrity of their ponds to ensure they are operating at their best.

The latest action comes on top of four notices EPA issued to the company in August 2023 that required improvements to the processing and handling of material on their site, and to install controls to minimise the risk of odours from their production processes.

Two weeks' ago, EPA also issued Van Hessen Australia with an Environment Action Notice requiring them to maintain oxygen levels in their aerobic wastewater treatment pond within specific parameters which will assist in maintaining the condition of the ponds.

“We’ve written to community members living in the vicinity of the site to let them know about the desludging, which will have long term benefits, but could cause increased odour in the short term,” said EPA North East Region Acting Manager Ben Kneebone.

“We’ll maintain our monitoring of the company and take whatever action is necessary to minimise the impact to the community. But if you do experience odour, we urge you to report it to us on 1300 372 842.”

For more information about how EPA has been regulating Van Hessen, go to https://www.epa.vic.gov.au/for-community/incidents/wangaratta-odour-from-wastewater-treatment-system