By CHRIS EARL
OVERSIZED organic heaps are at the centre of a Newbridge fire probe and rising community disquiet.
Environmental Protection Authority says it will order South Australian-owned BioGro to produce a plan to “process and remove the oversized material currently stockpiled onsite”.
Volunteer firefighters from across the Loddon and Bendigo battled a fire that jumped Yorkshire Road and raced through 85 hectares of farmland, destroying fences and grain stored in a paddock. Strong late afternoon winds fanned flames from a fire the company later said had started in one of its maturation blocks. 
Organic waste piled several metres high and within metres of an electrical transformer pole were doused with water by firefighters and smouldered into last week.
Energy Safe Victoria has been contacted about the incident and regulations on storage of flammable material around power poles. Regulations prohibit material  under lines on public land “that alters the level of the ground”.
Firefighters say the February 15 fire was the third time this year that they had been called to BioGro’s 160-hectare site.  They claim  there have been other fires not reported to the CFA.
BioGro yesterday morning was preparing a statement for the Loddon Herald.
EPA north west regional manager Paul Rataczyk said: “We’re investigating the circumstances of a fire at a Newbridge composting facility.”
Mr Ratacyzk said the EPA intended to issue two legal notices to the company that requires:
An analysis of the fire event and identification of the cause for the fire and actions required to prevent future occurrences, and
A plan to process and remove the oversized material currently stockpiled onsite.
“We expect licence holders to comply with the conditions of their licence, including that waste does not burn at premise.”
Police have confirmed they are also investigating the latest fire. 
Loddon Shire’s Tarnagulla ward councillor Nick Angelo said residents had raised concerns about litter and odour in the area.
Cr Angelo said he had met with several residents in recent months and discussed their concerns with council staff, asking for further information. 
Plastic and paper has been seen on fencelines and in paddocks adjoining to the facility taken over by Mount Gambier-based BioGro in 2022.
A $1.69 million State Government grant has been used by BioGro to expand operations at Newbridge, shown off to Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, Sustainability Victoria, and Recycling Victoria last November.
A month later the EPA approved a development licence to more than double production from 60,000 tonnes to 150,000 tonnes a year at the site of the former Scato Plus mushroom composting business.
BioGro is licenced to handle municipal green waste, manures, commercial garden and landscaping organics free of contamination and animal effluent and residues, including abattoir waste.
The 2023 application said there had been just a single complaint about odour outside the Newbridge site boundary and it had improved processes for storage of animal manure.
BioGro said the fire risks in compost piles would be managed by onsite controls and “risk of uncontrolled fire is considered low”. It said piles would be less than 2.2 metres. 
While Loddon communities are covered by CFA volunteer brigades, BioGro’s licence application listed only Fire Rescue Victoria as a key stakeholder at Newbridge.
Under its expansion, BioGro says there will be two fire tanks to supply four hours of water and the local fire brigade invited to make an annual inspection.
BioGro was contacted on Tuesday but said it required more time to prepare a statement. 
In a statement after the February 15 fire, business relations manager Patricia Smith said: “The fire was extinguished ... using water and turn-in methods and while no injuries were reported, a BioGro excavator was damaged along with minor damage to neighbouring paddocks and fence lines. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but please be assured that all actions were swiftly handled as per BioGro’s fire emergency protocols. There are no further comments at this stage.”