Ymgyrch Atal y Lagwn Slyri Hermon , Glog & Llanfyrnach Stop the Slurry Lagoon Campaign

1. YmgyrchAtal y LagwnSlyriHermon, Glog & LlanfyrnachStop the Slurry Lagoon Campaign Fighting on Your Behalf Keeping You Informed Protecting Your Future

2. Do YOU Want This Near Your FAMILY?

3. Do You Want To Eat This Now? You may have NO CHOICE if this MASSIVE slurry lagoon goes ahead!

4. Introduction • My name is Dr Richard Archer. • I have been a doctor for over 25 years and a GP for over 17 years. • I work for the local Out of Hours service based at Withybush Hospital. • I am here today as a private individual, and do not represent the LHB. • My family & I have been residents of Hermon since 2007. • I will be representing this Community and speak on your behalf opposing this slurry lagoon at planning meetings.

5. Why do we oppose it? • It is too close to private homes • It is close to several water courses • Any breach of the lagoon would pollute local water courses & travel downstream • It is too close to Public Footpaths • It’s size (2 acres) is far in excess of what is required • It poses serious health risks of infections and gases • We will suffer loss of amenity through odour and fly nuisance • It will affect house prices, the environment and tourism • Pembs County Council have failed to act fairly • It is not a modern, sustainable option

6. We Do Not Oppose Farming! • We appreciate hard working family farms that do not over-burden their land. • We know that dairy herds produce slurry and this has to be managed well as a product. • We enjoy living in well-managed, responsibly farmed countryside and we want it to continue this way. • Farmers are increasingly pressurised into lower prices for their milk by greedy supermarkets and larger herds are partly responsible for this. (Farmers Union of Wales Nov 19th 2010)

7. A Brief History of the Campaign • August 08 – pipework under main road put in but no reason given for this installation. • August 09 – 1st application goes in to PCC – where were the public notices? And notification letters? • Sept 09 – Darren finds out about slurry lagoon application. Mike & Len detect irregularities repeatedly on each application form/ certificate. My medical report goes in along with multiple letters of objection. 100 + but only 30 in the file until recently.

8. Brief History continued: • From Sept 09 – as part of dedicated and tireless surveillance of the PA folder our campaigners prevent any decisions being made by a planning officer under delegated powers which is what PCC and the applicant wished. Without this vigilance the lagoon would have been constructed by Spring 2010 and our lives would already have become a misery because of it. • July 10 - We request assistance from Jane Davidson, Minister for Environment, Housing and Sustainability to “call-in” this application.

9. Brief History continued: • 1stHermon meeting • 2ndHermon meeting 27/2/11 – Mr Vizza attends & admits pipework was in place as part of the development of lagoon. 79 attended • 3rdHermon meeting (3/4/11) – 108 attendees including Paul Davies, AM (Cons); Rhys Sinnett (Plaid), Terry Mills(Lab) and David Howells (Cons) to show support for us at a discussion of medical risks.

10. Brief History continued: • August 2010 onwards – numerous emails, letters, visits to WAG in Cardiff giving as much information as possible. Constant approaches to Environment Agency with requests for clarification and assistance.

11. Brief History continued: • Planning & RoWComm meeting 12/4/11 suddenly deferred with no warning or reason why. • 55 people on our campaign coach still attended the meeting to show the strength of opposition. • We sang our song & everyone at County Hall could hear we were there. Interviews were given by various campaigners to S4C, BBC, Western Telegraph & Western Mail • WAG still have the case and are currently deciding on whether to “call-in” the application. • Next P & RoWCmtg due on 24/5/11 – we now know that the PA will not be heard then

12. A Logical Opposition. • We oppose the lagoon in the following categories: • Site • Intensity • Environmental Issues • Amenity • Medical Issues - poisonous gases infectious diseases

13. The Site • The choice of the site is too close to private homes and represents a significant health risk – more details later. • It is half a mile from Brynfa Farm. • It is 150 yards/metres from private homes. • It is 500 yards/metres from our village. • Mr Vizza will not consider any other site or storage solution despite their obvious advantages.

14. Intensity • The lagoon size is far in excess of what’s needed. • He wants to increase his herd to 600 cows. 1 cow per acre is good farming. 350 acres is 350 cows. 600 cows is hundreds of lorries each year for feed etc. • The Council’s duty is to promote sustainable development. 600 cows with this lagoon is unsustainable.

15. Environmental Issues • It is close to several water sources. Any breach of the lagoon would pollute local water courses and travel downstream. • It is not going to be lined. • An Environmental Impact Assessment is needed in a slurry development over 5,000 cubic metres. This is 14, 000 cubic metres. Where is the EIA? • We have urged the Committee to carry out a site visit before determining this application.

16. Environmental Issues continued: • An enormous slurry lake would produce large volumes of poisonous gases which would pollute the environment. • It is well documented of the public health dangers associated with Hydrogen Sulphide and Ammonia. • The village of Hermon has been granted £400,000 to promote its’ green credentials/ lessen its’ carbon footprint. • A lagoon of this magnitude will produce large quantities of methane gas which is known to be 72 times more potent a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. • Continuous production of this gas will completely negate any benefits derived from this £400,000 grant of public money in a time of economic hardship.

17. Amenity • Definition – “those elements in the appearance and layout of settlements and the countryside which makes for pleasant life rather than mere existence. Anything ugly, dirty, noisy, crowded, intrusive or uncomfortable may adversely affect amenity.” Taken from the JUDP for Pembrokeshire • Last year PCC rejected the Clunderwen slurry lagoon of 7000 cubic metres on grounds of loss of amenity through odour and fly nuisance and yet this 14 000 cubic metre lagoon is supported by Head of Planning. It will cause far more misery than Clunderwen ever could. (On appeal the Inspector upheld the refusal for the same reasons and the severe health risks.)

18. Amenity continued: • A plague of different types of flies emanating from this lagoon, each carrying up to 6 million bacteria, will be in our homes and schools. On our food and farms. Bringing diarrhoea causing diseases. • The massive scale of this lagoon (compared to a small individual farm lagoon) is whole magnitudes of scale larger with a corresponding increase in fly populations. • Flies are considered a statutory nuisance as defined within the Environmental Protection Act 1990. • Adverse impact from such nuisance would require Public Health to serve an Abatement Notice.

19. Amenity continued: • Odours from slurry lagoons are a fact. • A slurry lagoon of this massive size will produce far more odour than usual. • The failed application at Clunderwen was rejected specifically by PCC Public Protection on the basis of it being: “harmful to the amenity of the occupants of the properties, in terms of the nuisance caused by the odours that would arise from its’ use as a slurry storage lagoon.” • Odours are considered a statutory nuisance as defined within the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

20. Public Protection at PCC • PP at PCC are trivialising our health concerns. • Massive slurry lagoons pose dangerous health risks which Public Protection seriously underestimates. Every day I find more research which proves they are wrong. • They have told a concerned local lady that I have grossly overstated the medical risks. • Mark Elliott is not a doctor and has no medical training. I completely refute his trivialisation of the serious medical issues.

21. Public Protection continued: • PP state that the prevailing wind is usually from the south-west and that there are no protected dwellings in the north-east therefore air pollution would be minimised. • Met Office data suggests that this prevalence is only 55% - so nearly half of the time the wind blows from different directions. • The frequency of window closure required at the Preseli Schools (currently during slurry spreading) indicates that the turbulent wind conditions in our locality means the air pollution i.e. the foul odour plus the poisonous gasses from this lagoon, would affect many more people than would be obvious.

22. Medical Issues • There are 2 main concerns regarding health and slurry lagoons – • poisonous gases and • dangerous bacteria.

23. Poisonous Gases • The most hazardous gases are hydrogen sulphide and ammonia – it needs to be understood that the greater the volume and surface area of a lagoon, the greater the emission of gases.

24. Ammonia • Have you ever smelled household ammonia or smelling salts? • Ammoniacal conjunctivitis – see picture of Zoe here.

25. Hydrogen Sulphide • Hydrogen sulphide is highly toxic, heavier than air and invisible. At low concentrations people may experience headache, nausea and irritation to the eyes, throat & lungs. • Hydrogen sulphide is viewed as being as poisonous as cyanide gas i.e. hydrogen cyanide, and both gasses poison the same systems within the body.

26. Hydrogen Sulphide continued: • The gas has a characteristic rotten egg odour at low concentrations. • About half of the population can smell it at concentrations as low as 8 parts per billion in air, and more than 90% can smell it at levels of 50 parts per billion.  • Chronic exposures to low level Hydrogen Sulphide (around 2 parts per million) has been implicated in increased miscarriage and reproductive health issues.

27. Hydrogen Sulphide continued: • At higher concentrations, hydrogen sulphide rapidly deadens the sense of smell. • For most people, this occurs at approximately 150 parts per million. • It affects the respiratory and central nervous systems leading to rapid unconsciousness and death.  • A few breaths at 800 ppm will kill you instantly. Give size comparison here.

28. Hydrogen Sulphide continued: • Babies in the womb, newborns and young children will be particularly susceptible to the neurotoxic effects of this gas. • THIS IS PARTICULARLY BECAUSE A CHILDS’ NERVOUS SYSTEM IS NOT FULLY DEVELOPED UNTIL 2-3 YEARS OF AGE. • This gas could potentially cause brain damage to a previously normal, healthy child.

29. Hydrogen Sulphide continued: • There is a wealth of reputable studies and information available on the internet which confirms that hydrogen sulphide causes brain damage definitely in adults and this has been proven around oil facilities, geothermal plants/ activity. • Because it is heavier than air it can form low lying “pockets” which will be of higher concentration. • Small children and animals will be affected quicker and more intensively if they are exposed to these areas.

30. Dangerous Bacteria & Infections • National Public Health Service Wales and HywelDda Health Board in letters from Huw Brunt confirm my very comprehensive list of the true potential infectious risks posed by slurry but these have been completely disregarded by the Councils Head of Public Protection.

31. Dangerous Bacteria & Infections continued: • The most significant pathogen found is E. Coli 0157 as it poses a serious human health risk from flies and insects that have been in contact with the lagoon. • It takes a very low number of micro-organisms to cause illness in children, the elderly and those with suppressed immune systems. • The symptoms are bloody diarrhoea, severe abdominal pain and sickness. • It can cause kidney failure. • It has a fatality rate of 5% for some complications. • It is antibiotic resistant.

32. E. Coli 0157 causing bloody diarrhoea and kidney failure. 5% death rate. 1 in 20 will die, mostly in the under 5’s and the elderly. But 40% of newborns can die from E. Coli 0157. It takes less than 100 germs to infect and possibly kill you.

33. Salmonella • Salmonella can also cause bloody diarrhoea, 3% death rate.

34. Campylobacter • Campylobacter brings severe diarrhoea and a fatality rate of 3 – 8% again mostly in the under 5’s and elderly. It takes only 400 - 500 germs to infect and possibly kill you.

35. Listeria • Listeria (rarer than the others) but is particularly dangerous for pregnant women and newborn babies with a 20 – 25% death rate

36. Cryptosporidium • Cryptosporidium very unpleasant diarrhoea in healthy individuals but can be fatal in immunosuppressed.