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Trial over a pig farm in Temerin, Serbia

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For half a century, not far from the settlement in the municipality of Temerin, there is a pig farm, although according to the current regulations of the Municipality of Temerin, farms should not be built in the construction area. Since 2018, the farm for breeding pigs Temerin agrar has been operating. Years ago, in this place, not far from the family houses, various companies “kept” a pig farm, which is why the locals protested, but their fight for cleaner air has been intensifying since 2014, when the stench, as they say, became unbearable.

However, this is not the only problem with the operation of this farm.

Thus, the Agricultural Inspection determined that the special premises where manure waste from Temerin agrar, the so-called lagoon, is disposed of, are located on state land, which, as the municipal administration said in August last year, the farm used without a lease agreement. The inspection informed the management about this on February 7, 2020. Also, according to the law, all plants that can have a negative impact on human health and the environment must have a special, so-called integrated permit. As a farm with a capacity of 10,000 pigs, Temerin agrarian would have to have such a permit, but it does not exist.

Inspectors of the Sector for Environmental Monitoring and Precaution of the Ministry of Environmental Protection visited the farm on September 3, 2019, after which they ordered the farm to submit a request for the issuance of an integrated permit.

Temerin agrar did that on January 22, 2020, but the permit was not issued because the request did not contain all the necessary documentation, the Center for Investigative Journalism of Serbia (CINS) from the municipal administration was told in February this year.

Dejan Krcmar, a professor at the Department of Chemical Technology and Environmental Protection at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics in Novi Sad, told CINS that farms must have an environmental impact assessment study because a document is required to obtain a use and integrated permit. If they did not get it when the farm was built, then a study of the current condition is being done. In addition, Krcmar says that biofilters can also be used, which are placed on the ventilation and thus purify the air that comes out less polluted and with much less unpleasant odors.

Waiting for a final verdict

Milenko Karlica is one of about fifty citizens who sued Temerin agrar in the same year when this company opened its doors. However, there is no court epilogue yet. Namely, the Basic Court in Novi Sad first passed a verdict in favor of the residents of Temerin and ordered the farm to prevent the spread of unpleasant odors. However, the Novi Sad Court of Appeals revoked the verdict and returned the procedure for a new decision because the Basic Court did not fully establish the facts. The explanation states that the court did not determine the purpose of the facilities in which the plaintiffs reside, in what capacity they use those facilities and whether they have the necessary permits.

The Court of Appeals also requests that the competent authorities determine the existence of the emission of unpleasant odors, because the verdict was passed only on the basis of the testimony of the prosecutors. It is also necessary to determine whether there are devices that could partially or completely neutralize these odors, or what Temerin agrarian should do to reduce harmful emissions from the farm. The director of this company, Vladica Mladenovic, says for CINS that the papers are on their side.

The disputed location, the director of the farm promises relocation

The farm that was built in the middle of the last century should not be located on this plot today. Namely, according to the General Regulation Plan of the Municipality of Temerin, farms for animal breeding must not be built in the work zone, in which this farm is located. The Municipality says for CINS that, however, this is a “current situation”. The farm facilities were built in the second half of the last century by the Socially-Owned Enterprise for Agricultural Production, Trade and Services Petefi Temerin, which was privatized in 2004. That is why the municipal administration of Temerin says that they “found” such a situation and adds that they never issued a permit for a farm to be built there. They also add that they do not have permits for lagoons where manure is stored.

Source: cins.rs

 

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