Last update - 06:20 16/10/2007
In mushroom-farm squabble, it's not just the compost that stinks
By Jack Khoury
Several months ago members of Moshav Hosen in the Western Galilee banded together to force the closure of a nearby mushroom farm, or at least to get the owners to comply with environment law. "We felt that no one would respond to letters and formal requests and no official body would come to our aid," Nazia Mahoul, a member of the citizens' committee, said recently.
Teva Post, which grows mushrooms and the surfaces for growing them, is owned by businessman Rahamim "Ramu" Ben Shushan. It was built in 2000 in the southern industrial zone of Ma'alot-Tarshiha. In 2005 the plant was relocated to the Ma'ale Yosef Regional Council, near Hosen, and expanded. One of the main reasons for the move was opposition in Ma'alot to the facility, backed up by Ma'alot-Tarshiha Mayor Shlomo Buchbut.
The factory's new neighbors did not put up strong resistance to the move, mainly because they were unaware of the stench it causes. It did not take long for locals to start complaining about it.
"We're not against factories in the area, just the opposite: Every factory is a good thing, providing employment for many, but there's a big difference between that and accepting the environmental nuisance it causes," said the head of Peki'in Local Council, Mahmoud Kheir.
He said the complaints to the relevant authorities, particularly the Ministry of Environmental Protection, were not dealt with appropriately, and the plant continues to operate.
Mahoul shows a visitor several official letters, signed by the ministry's Northern District head, Shlomo Katz, and other ministry officials, confirming that the factory represents an environmental nuisance and even that it does not conform to its design plans.
'Sniffing teams' on the job
One letter, sent about a month ago and signed by Katz, was addressed to Environmental Protection Minister Gideon Ezra and the engineer at Peki'in Local Council. "The factory was supposed to be closed completely, with exhaust and treatment systems for all emissions. According to examinations in the context of the business licensing process, the plant was not built in accordance with the plans presented to us in the advanced [planning] stages, and as a result of the potential for smell pollution the ministry refused the business application request," Katz wrote in the letter.
His letter also stated that after the ministry's "sniffing teams" confirmed that the plant emitted unacceptable odors into the surrounding area, warnings were issued to Ben Shushan.
Mahoul said he was satisfied by the ministry's actions but claimed that residents feel that the foot-dragging is not coincidental.
"Everyone knows about Ramu's personal connections with cabinet ministers and with area and national figures; we have no explanation for the time and favors [extended to him]," Mahoul said. "I don't believe that in a city like Ma'alot or Nahariya they would have allowed a business to continue to operate without meeting all the conditions."
Ben Shushan's name was raised by State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss in connection to his examination of NIS 7.5 million in aid allocated when Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was trade and industry minister. Olmert was then a Likud member, and Ben Shushan was a member of the party's central committee.
The Knesset's Internal Affairs and Environment Committee is to convene today to discuss the mushroom factory.
Representatives from the area will attend the session, which was initiated by the citizens' group with the aid of MK Hanna Swaid. A demonstration and march at the factory is planned for early next week.
Covering the manure
"It's not personal, this is a completely legitimate struggle whose only aim is quality of life and preventing a nuisance that is recognized by the most authoritative official body in existence. And I hope this struggle will prod those who need it into at least enforcing the law," Kheir said.
"On October 7 a hearing was held for the owner of Teva Post," a statement from the Ministry of Environmental Protection said. "At the hearing the owner of the plant promised to submit within about two weeks a plan to cover the manure, the conveyor belt and the biological filter (the main sources of the smell).
After the plan is submitted, a schedule for carrying out the measures will be set. We hope the implementation of these steps will significantly reduce the odor nuisance at the site."
Ben Shushan claims the plant was built using advanced technology in accordance with European environmental standards. He says it conforms to local zoning permits he received as well as directives from the Environmental Protection Ministry.
He confirmed the arrangement reached on October 7 with the ministry and said the factory will take all necessary steps to prevent odor emissions. At the same time, he denied the presence of an odor problem. He did not refer to his connections with Olmert or Ezra.