The EPA has developed a system of performance-based indicators to rank industrial and waste licensed sites in order of priority for enforcement.  We use the National Priority Sites List to target our enforcement effort at the licensed operators with the poorest environmental performance. This helps us to drive improvements in environmental compliance. 

A score is assigned to each licensee based on the scores assigned to them, over the previous six months, under four key indicators of environmental performance and licence compliance: 

  • complaints 
  • incidents 
  • compliance investigations (CIs) 
  • non-compliances (NCs) with the licence

Higher scores indicate poorer compliance at a licensed site. 

The EPA updates the National Priority Sites list on a quarterly basis. 

See details about the NPS system and how the scores are allocated. 

National Priority sites Q4 2023

Licensee County Issue Sector

North Cork Co-op Creameries Limited

Cork

Discharges to water

Food & Drink

Timoleague Agri Gen Limited

Cork

Infrastructure & management

Anaerobic Digestion

Wellman International Ltd

Meath

Odour

Wood, Paper, Textiles & Leather

 

The EPA has developed a system to rank industrial and waste licensed sites in order of priority for enforcement. The National Priority Sites List will be used to target our enforcement effort at the poorest performing sites in order to drive improvements in environmental compliance.

A score is assigned to each facility based on enforcement factors such as complaints, incidents, compliance investigations (CIs), and non-compliances (NCs) with the licence. 

Popular FAQ's

  • How can a site get off the National Priority Sites List?

    A National Priority Site must address the environmental issues and restore compliance in order to reduce its score.

  • What happens to a site that is on the National Priority List?

    The EPA is using the National Priority Sites to focus its enforcement effort at the worst performing sites.  Sites that appear on the list are subject to an escalation of enforcement action by the EPA, up to and including legal action, suspension or revocation. 

  • How does a licensed site know their score?

    Licensed sites are informed in writing when they are on the National Priority Site List.

    All licensed sites can calculate their score based on the compliance information available to them.

  • What time period is used to compile the score?

    The National Priority Sites List is produced by the EPA on a quarterly basis based on data for the previous 6 months. 

  • What score does a National Priority Site have to achieve?

    A site becomes a National Priority Site when it has a total score of more than 30 points and a CI score of 10 points or more.