The vice-president of a Tara company promises they'll do everything possible to eliminate foul odours coming from the plant.
About 150 people turned out to a meeting last night in Tara on the issue.
Lallemand Bio-Ingredients makes yeast products. People in Tara noticed bad smells from the plant shortly after it started operating last fall.
Lallemand Vice President Andre Lambert says they're doing everything they can to correct the problem and hopes it'll be fixed within weeks. Lambert was encouraged by peoples' support of their efforts.
"I felt that people were sympathetic to the Lallemand cause and we are very transparent, we are working with the Ministry of Environment, I am serious," says Lambert.
Resident Mike Gowan expressed the general feeling of people at the meeting. He says the area needs industry and they're willing to give the company time to find solutions.
"I don't think it's that Tara wants the company to leave. We just want to see them work with us and make sure that our quality of life stays high," says Gowen.
Resident Karen Elliott is sympathetic to the company's efforts.
"I think the man has absolutely dedicated himself to solving the problem by putting in an additional scrubber, it's going to cost big bucks," she says.
Lambert says the Tara company has so far spent about $400,000 to fix the problem and they'll spend more if they have to.