Pollution dispute in Fortes on trial. Lawyers for both parties intend to settle. Victim, a woman 60 year old, ask for more than 260 thousand euros in compensation, AZPO willing to pay, but less.
The company AZPO-Azeites de Portugal, olive pomace factory that works in Fortes, Ferreira do Alentejo county, admits to being the source of the pollution that caused health problems in the people of the village, especially in Rosa Dimas, who brought an action demanding compensation of more than 260 thousand euros.
The company linked to the Migasa Group, the second largest package in the world, is available to reimburse the woman for 60 year old, after in the second session of the trial that took place on Thursday at the Court of Beja, your defender has reached an agreement with the complainant's lawyer to suspend the proceedings, paying compensation below the amount claimed in the lawsuit. The judge who in the morning had put this possibility to the parties, accepted the suspension of the process for the next few months, whose values are agreed between the parties, and the session scheduled for yesterday morning (Friday) no longer took place.
At the beginning of the year, an attempt was made to reconcile, where “there was a pre-agreement, but the value proposed by the defendant was much lower than the petitioned”, justified in court the defender of Rosa Dimas.
Claiming that the fumes and dust generated by the processing of olive pomace were the cause of their health problems, Rosa Dimas was admitted in May 2020, at the Central Civil Court of Beja, with the action for damages. The victim demands payment of 161.370,70 equity euros ranging from health expenses, loss of income and others and more 100.000 euros for personal injury, related by affecting their physical and mental health.
To be ratified the agreement between the plaintiff and the defendant, this will be the first time that a company, olive pomace producer, will pay compensation to a citizen for environmental pollution, even if it is by agreement and not by court decision, which will not make jurisprudence in future cases.
Health problems
According to the complainant, industrial activity causes concentrated fumes and ash particles, soot and residue that caused discomfort, namely agony, tortures and headaches and began to experience difficulties in breathing, shortness of breath sore throat and ears, constant hoarseness, stuffy nose and back pain.
Transformation
The company receives the bagasse, product remaining from the olive harvesting campaigns in an intensive olive grove regime, transforming into biomass about 1/3 of all bagasse production in the Alentejo region, corresponding to an olive grove area of about 200.000 hectares.
Teixeira Correia
(journalist)
