Fighting on Your Behalf Keeping You Informed Protecting Your Future Ymgyrch Atal y Lagwn Slyri Hermon, Glog & Llanfyrnach “Stop the Slurry Lagoon” Campaign Fighting on Your Behalf Keeping You Informed Protecting Your Future Add this again at the end

Do YOU Want This Near Your FAMILY?

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

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 speaking on your behalf opposing this slurry lagoon at planning meetings.

Why do we oppose it? It is too close to private homes It will hold between 2.7 and 4 million gallons – the capacity is disputed It is close to several water courses It poses serious health risks of infections and gases Any breach of the lagoon would pollute local water courses & travel downstream We will suffer loss of amenity through odour and fly nuisance It is too close to Public Footpaths It will affect house prices, the environment and tourism It’s size (2.2 acres) is far in excess of what is required currently Pembs. County Council have failed to act fairly This is the same size as 2 rugby/ football pitches It is not a modern, sustainable option Put next to last slide as “in summary” too

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/ fertiliser. 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)

We do not oppose farming! Hard working farmers should receive a fair price for their milk. They should not be encouraged to develop huge herds in mega-dairies to bolster the massive profits of the supermarkets. Year round housing of cattle is not natural and is akin to battery farming of chickens. Most farmers would like their cattle to graze naturally and be less stressed animals.

A Brief History of the Campaign August 08 – pipe work 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 the 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.

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.

Brief History continued: 1st Hermon meeting 2009 – 40 attended. 2nd Hermon meeting 27/2/11 – Mr Vizza attends & admits pipe work was in place as part of the development of lagoon. 79 attended. 3rd Hermon meeting (3/4/11) – 108 attendees including Paul Davies, AM (Cons); Cllr. Rhys Sinnett (Plaid), Terry Mills(Lab) and Cllr. David Howells (Cons) to show support for us at a discussion of medical risks.

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. E.A. consistently fail to act despite complaints against this farm. WAG are fully aware of the situation and are currently deciding on whether to “call-in” the application.

Brief History continued: At the Planning & Rights of Way Committee meeting 12/4/11 the planning report suddenly withdrawn 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. Next P & R of W Comm. meeting due on 24/5/11 – we now know that the PA will not be heard.

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

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 135 yards/metres from the closest private home. It is 200 yards/metres from the village boundary. It is about 500 yards/ metres from the village green. Mr Vizza will not consider any other site or storage solution despite their obvious advantages, such as a tank near his cows, or an anaerobic digester.

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 encourage sustainable development. 600 cows with this lagoon is unsustainable.

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 or have an overflow warning system. 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.

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.

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

Amenity continued: Last year PCC rejected a slurry lagoon 1 mile away from Clunderwen of 7000 cubic metres on grounds of loss of amenity through odour and fly nuisance and yet this 14 000 cubic metre lagoon is recommended for Approval by the Planning Dept.

Amenity continued: Brynfa will cause far more misery to far more people than Clunderwen ever could. (On appeal the Inspector upheld the refusal for the same reasons and the severe health risks).

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.

Odours from slurry lagoons are a fact. 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.

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. Public Protection staff are not doctors and have no medical training. I completely refute this trivialisation of the serious medical issues.

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 gases from this lagoon, would affect many more people than would be obvious.

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

Poisonous Gases The most hazardous gases are ammonia and hydrogen sulphide – it needs to be understood that the greater the volume and surface area of a lagoon, the greater the emission of gases. The Brynfa lagoon will have a much larger surface area compared to its’ volume and so I believe the emission of gases will be correspondingly larger and the effects on us will be greater. If these gases were visible none of these massive, open lagoons would ever be built.

Stirring lagoons When a lagoon is stirred prior to removing the slurry as fertiliser it can take many weeks for the slurry crust on the surface to reform In damp conditions the slurry crust would tend not to dry out completely allowing the noxious gases and odours to continue to be released The stirring process releases these poisonous gases very rapidly In areas of high rainfall this can lead to more frequent releases of the gases

Ammonia Ammonia emissions from livestock operations are a major environmental and human health concern. It is a colourless gas. (You can’t see it coming). Have you ever smelled household ammonia or smelling salts? Ammonia has a noxious, sharp and penetrating odour. At moderate levels it causes severe irritation to the eyes and the respiratory tract. At high levels it can cause ulceration of the eyes and permanent lung damage. Take smelling salts with us and pass round

Her children and husband were also affected but not as badly. Ammonia continued: This is a picture of one of our neighbours who very recently suffered from ammoniacal conjunctivitis – due to ammonia from muck spreading. The odour which caused this pervaded the entire house, as it was too offensive for her to stay outside. Her children and husband were also affected but not as badly.

Hydrogen Sulphide Hydrogen sulphide is highly toxic, heavier than air and invisible. Because it is heavier than air it can form low lying “pockets” which will be of higher concentration. Hydrogen sulphide is viewed as being as poisonous as cyanide gas i.e. hydrogen cyanide, and both gases poison the same systems within the body. At low concentrations people may experience headache, nausea and irritation to the eyes, throat & lungs. At 2 p.p.m. 2 out of 10 asthmatics required treatment when exposed to H2S, having had no drugs for 2 days pre-test. During muck spreading many of us have suffered from these ailments to varying degrees.

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.

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. As levels rise it affects the respiratory and central nervous systems leading to rapid unconsciousness and death.  A few breaths at 800 ppm will kill you instantly. That is the size of my clenched fist in a cubic metre of air i.e. about the size of a builders’ bag.

Neurotoxicity The US Congress considered listing hydrogen sulphide in 1990 as a hazardous air pollutant under the Clean Air Act, Sec 112 (b) which regulates industrial sources with routine emissions of H.A.P.s. Listing was negated by lobbying by the US oil and gas industry, despite the health concerns of the US EPA Slurry lagoons, although not oil refinery’s, still produce the same gas but on a smaller, more local scale

Neurotoxicity US researchers who are trying to change US law have found the following demonstrable symptoms resulting from chronic exposure to hydrogen sulphide: Changes in brain density Abnormal neuro-behavioural functioning Headache Altered mood states – depression and tension Memory loss Pronounced deficits in balance and reaction time Dizziness Insomnia Overpowering fatigue Reduced sense of smell

Hydrogen Sulphide continued: Studies and information available on the internet confirm that hydrogen sulphide causes brain damage in adults and this has been proven around oil facilities and geothermal plants/ activity. 1991 - dendritic fields of developing cerebellar Purkinje cells were analysed during peri-natal development and the findings suggested that developing neurones exposed to low concentrations of hydrogen sulphide are at risk of severe deficits 2002 - Russian researchers have found in experimental animals given repeated exposures, that severe destructive changes were found in myelinated nerve fibres and in single neurones “H2S poisons the brain, and the poisoning is irreversible.” Kaye Kilburn, PhD University of Southern California School of Medicine Need more information on pages after this of brain damage studies etc.

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.

Hydrogen Sulphide continued: The effects of toxic pollution such as H2S on growing children is recognised by experts as particularly severe. Dr Neil Carman, PhD explains: - “children are more vulnerable than adults to H2S, first because they breath more rapidly, taking in significantly more pollution per pound of bodyweight than do adults. A resting infant inhales twice as much, relative to its’ size as does a resting adult. Children spend an average of about 50% more time outdoors than adults so more exposure. Children are 3 times more active whilst outdoors than adults so increasing inhalation rates. Children are particularly sensitive to toxic substances because their bodies are immature and rapidly growing. Children are in their prime learning years and H2S exposure causes brain damage. The impairment of mental faculties in a child amounts to a lifetime of harm.”

Dangerous Bacteria & Infections National Public Health Service Wales and Hywel Dda 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.

Lagoons as Incubators Large bodies of water hold heat and take a long time to cool down Slurry lagoons are no different except they also have germs, with a food supply to ferment! This makes more heat allowing germs to grow all year round, unlike a small lagoon which would cool down and be dormant Massive lagoons will also always contain viable pathogenic organisms because it is constantly being inocculated with new germs/ slurry

It is endemic in dairy herds – 10% of cows carry it. E. Coli 0157 The most significant pathogen found in slurry as it poses a serious human health risk from flies and insects that have been in contact with the lagoon. It is endemic in dairy herds – 10% of cows carry it. 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. E. Coli continued: Mason Jones, five, died from E. coli poisoning in 2005, in South Wales. It has a fatality rate of 5% for some complications. It is antibiotic resistant. 40% of newborns can die from E. Coli 0157. It takes less than 100 germs to infect and possibly kill you. Flies – carrier, reservoir and incubator.

Campylobacter This bacterium is endemic in dairy herds and is found in cattle manure. It takes only 400 - 500 germs to infect and possibly kill you. Campylobacter brings severe diarrhoea, abdominal pain, vomiting and fever lasting 2 – 5 days. It has a fatality rate of 3 – 8%, again mostly in the under 5’s and elderly. There is an increasing rate of infection caused by antimicrobial-resistant strains.

Salmonella This bacterium is also endemic in dairy herds, and is found in cattle manure. It has a much higher infective dose – maybe as many as 100,000 micro-organisms. Salmonella can also cause bloody diarrhoea, abdominal pain, vomiting and fever leading to severe dehydration. It can pass from person to person. It has a 3% death rate.

Salmonella continued: The infection is usually over within a week but can last for 3 weeks. This baby has been infected with salmonella. Antibiotics are used to treat infections but in some cases it leads to death.

Listeria Listeria (rarer than the others) but is particularly dangerous for pregnant women and newborn babies with a 20 – 25% death rate (c/f 1 – 3% in salmonella) This is the germ that prevents you eating live/ soft cheeses, pate, uncooked vegetables and meat when you are pregnant.

From the US FDA

Cryptosporidium The main symptom in humans is watery diarrhoea, which can range from mild to severe. It is often accompanied by stomach pain, nausea or vomiting, fever and sometimes dehydration and weight loss.  It is a leading cause of human gastrointestinal infection in the UK. Young farm animals can also suffer from Cryptosporidium diarrhoea. Healthy individuals are generally safe but it can be fatal in the immuno-suppressed

Housefly as a vector of disease This includes bluebottles and greenbottles. Mechanical transmission of organisms on its hairy legs/body and mouthparts, vomitus and faeces: remember up to 6 million germs on a single fly Flies are dangerous because they can travel from 1 to 10 miles distance on their feeding flights Hermon is less than half a mile from the lagoon Crymych is just over 1 mile from the lagoon parasitic diseases: cysts of protozoa e.g. Entamoeba histolytica, Giardia lamblia and eggs of helminths e.g.: Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuros trichura, Haemenolypes nana, Enterobius vermicularis. bacterial diseases: typhoid, cholera, dysentery, pyogenic cocci, etc. House flies have been demonstrated to be vectors of Campylobacter and E. coli O157:H7 using PCR. House flies can be monitored for bacterial pathogens using filter paper spot cards and PCR Viruses: enteroviruses: poliomyelitis, viral hepatitis (types A & E)..etc.

Vectors of Disease A further consequence of fly pathogenic transfer is that salad crops and vegetables grown in neighbouring gardens are more likely to be contaminated The larger the surface area of a lagoon, the more extensive the slurry crust which provides an ideal habitat for flies to breed. More crust means more flies. Some graphic pictures follow.

As a causative agent of diseases Accidental myiasis – fly strike. Fly strike on a goat Fly strike on a sheep

Is this acceptable? Fly strike on a cat Fly strike on a dog

This certainly isn’t. Fly strike on neck Fly strike on head

IN SUMMARY 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 (2.2 acres) is far in excess of what is required currently This is the same size as 2 rugby/ football pitches It will hold between 2.7 and 4 million gallons – the capacity is disputed 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

PLEASE SIGN OUR PETITION Ymgyrch Atal y Lagwn Slyri Hermon, Glog & Llanfyrnach “Stop the Slurry Lagoon” Campaign Fighting on Your Behalf Keeping You Informed Protecting Your Future SUPPORT OUR CAMPAIGN PLEASE SIGN OUR PETITION