Filenews 7 May 2022 - by Vassos Vassiliou
Anyone who causes odours with the operation of livestock or industrial units more than 36 days a year, cumulatively, is guilty of a crime and, in case of conviction, is liable to imprisonment not exceeding three years or to a fine of up to €20,000, as provided for by a law proposal of the Member of Parliament of the Ecologists Charalambos Theopemptou.
In a text accompanying the law proposal it is mentioned that in recent years a serious sensitivity has developed in the public on the issues of odours caused by livestock, industrial or other activities, due to the residential development in Cyprus and the change of habits and the standard of living. Mr. Theopemptou observes that based on the existing legal framework, this odour is not a recognized pollutant and is not measured by any machine.
The Member of Parliament for Ecologists also mentions that the German Association of Engineers and the relevant German guidelines on odours have drafted recommendations concerning the measures offering adequate protection of health and quality of life from the stench. In particular, these recommendations state, as Mr. Theopemptou explains, that odours caused by livestock, industrial or other activities are considered intrusive if they are perceived by the inhabitants of the residential zones for more than 36 days cumulatively. Mr. Theopemptou notes that the same practice is adopted by the British Regulation BS EN 16841-2:2016.
He also mentions that, with his proposal, the German and British practices are adopted and the competent authorities are given the opportunity to evaluate the element of nuisance by odours, in order to ensure more effectively the protection of the health and quality of life of residents in residential areas.
Identifying the "intolerable nuisance from odours", he states that this translates into an emission of odours from livestock and/or industrial units or from other activities in residential areas, when these are perceived by the residents in a specified period of time.
According to Mr. Theopemptou, the purpose of the law proposal is to prevent, reduce and control intolerable odour nuisance, with the aim of protecting more effectively the health and well-being of the population.
