Darling Ingredients in the News
Residents across the country have raised concerns about odors from rendering plants operated by Darling Ingredients and its subsidiaries and predecessors, including Griffin Industries, which ran the East Dublin plant, and Valley Proteins. Below are news reports, court rulings and government records about those concerns, starting with Georgia. Other states are grouped by state, and you can filter by topic (odor, air, water, lawsuits, permits). Newest items are listed first within each group.
Each summary is written by Clean Air GA and links to the original reporting or record. Inclusion does not imply wrongdoing beyond what the source itself reports. Where a source reports Darling’s or the company’s response, we note it. Some items concern water pollution or permits rather than odor, and some involve other rendering companies before Darling acquired them. Spot an error or a missing story? Email webmaster@cleanairga.com.
Georgia
East Dublin plant, operated by Griffin Industries before Darling acquired Griffin in 2010.
Darling Ingredients Inc. Converts Wastewater Emissions into Renewable Natural Gas, Cutting Scope 1 Emissions
Darling Ingredients (company press release)
The company announced it had begun producing renewable natural gas from wastewater at its Dublin-area rendering plant, in partnership with GreenGasUSA, with the gas fed into the City of Dublin's system. The release does not address odor complaints.
Response / position: Company statement: describes the project as reducing emissions and turning waste into a revenue stream.
DUBLIN STINKS: Stop the Darling Ingredients Plant from Creating Unbearable Odors!
Change.org (resident petition)
East Dublin residents started a petition saying odors from the Darling plant make the town unbearable and that repeated complaints had not fixed the problem. It calls on authorities to enforce regulations and act on the odors.
Air Quality Permit Amendment narrative, Application No. 28568: Darling Ingredients Inc. – East Dublin
Georgia EPD (permit record)
Georgia EPD's permit review describes the plant's five process lines, its scrubbers and thermal oxidizer odor-control equipment, and a 2022 application to replace the biogas flare. EPD's reviewer concluded the change was not expected to increase emissions.
Griffin Industries, Inc. v. Green (Ga. Ct. App., No. A08A2121)
Court of Appeals of Georgia (opinion, via Exa legal library)
On a second appeal, the Georgia Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court's certification of a class of nearby property owners suing over odors from the East Dublin plant, then run by Griffin Industries. The court noted the company could still contest whether the odor reached every class member at trial.
Response / position: The company's defenses, as described by the court, included that it was not negligent, that the odor plume did not cover the whole class area, and the Georgia Right to Farm Act.
Griffin Industries, Inc. v. Irvin, 496 F.3d 1189 (11th Cir. 2007)
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (opinion, via OpenJurist)
Griffin Industries sued state and local officials, alleging they targeted its East Dublin rendering plant over odor through actions such as a required odor study and permit decisions. The appeals court held that Griffin had not alleged an equal-protection violation, found the officials entitled to qualified immunity, and reversed and remanded.
Response / position: The company's position: it alleged officials singled it out and acted for political and personal reasons.
Griffin Industries, Inc. v. Green, 280 Ga. App. 858 (2006)
Court of Appeals of Georgia (opinion, via OpenJurist)
Property owners within two miles of the East Dublin plant sued Griffin Industries, alleging its odor was a nuisance that lowered property values, and sought class status. The appeals court sent the class certification back to the trial court for a more detailed order.
Georgia Rendering Plant Pleads Guilty in Clean Water Act Case
WaterWorld (summary of EPA enforcement announcements)
Griffin Industries pleaded guilty in federal court in Augusta to a misdemeanor Clean Water Act violation for discharging No. 6 fuel oil through a storm water outfall into Bay Branch Creek. The plea called for a $50,000 fine and continued use of an environmental consultant.
Georgia Plant, Employees Indicted On Clean Water Act Charges
U.S. EPA (news release, archived)
EPA announced a federal indictment of Griffin Industries and five current or former employees, alleging illegal discharges from the East Dublin rendering plant into Bay Branch Creek from 1999 to 2003. The release notes an indictment is only an allegation.
Other states
Darling plants and subsidiaries (including former Valley Proteins and Griffin Industries sites) elsewhere in the U.S., grouped by state.
Jump to: Texas (10) · Maryland (8) · California (3) · Washington (3) · Minnesota (2) · New Jersey (2) · Colorado (1) · Iowa (1) · Iowa & Kansas (1) · Michigan (1) · South Carolina (1)
Texas (10)
Agreement reached between state, Bastrop animal rendering plant over smell
KXAN Austin
KXAN reported the March 4 agreement between Texas and Darling, which includes steps the company must take and expressly is not an admission of wrongdoing. The case returns to court in July 2027.
Response / position: Darling said the injunction 'provides a structured path forward' and pointed to ongoing investments and upgrades at the plant.
Darling to self-monitor emissions under court order ahead of July 2027 hearing
Community Impact
A Texas judge approved a temporary injunction requiring Darling to self-monitor and report hydrogen sulfide exceedances at its Bastrop plant, after the state Attorney General sued over odors. A final injunction hearing is set for July 2027.
Response / position: Darling said it would respond through legal channels and is committed to being a good neighbor; a local official said odors had improved.
Darling Ingredients, a Frequent Source of Foul Odors and Community Complaints in Bastrop Co., Agrees to Temporary Injunction
Public Citizen (advocacy group)
The advocacy group reported that Darling agreed to a temporary injunction in the state's odor lawsuit, avoiding a hearing where residents were set to testify. It summarizes earlier state enforcement actions over odors, hydrogen sulfide and wastewater.
The State of Texas's Original Petition and Application for Temporary and Permanent Injunction (State of Texas v. Darling Ingredients)
Texas Attorney General (court filing)
Texas sued Darling, alleging odors from its Bastrop rendering plant were a nuisance detectable up to ten miles away, with about 1,440 complaints to state regulators since May 2024. The suit seeks civil penalties and an injunction.
State alleges new violations for smells, and more, at Bastrop rendering plant
KXAN Austin
Texas regulators issued a notice of enforcement listing seven alleged violations, including nuisance odors, hydrogen sulfide emissions, wastewater reaching a creek and record-keeping lapses. It followed a July 2025 agreed order with a roughly $39,000 penalty.
New Enforcement Action Against Bastrop Co. Rendering Facility Reflects the Uphill Battle to Hold Texas Polluters Accountable
Public Citizen (advocacy group)
After nearly 500 complaints since July 2025, a state investigation confirmed nuisance odors, hydrogen sulfide exceedances and wastewater discharges into Piney Creek, according to the group. The findings were referred for formal enforcement.
Texas city's 'death' smell complaints near all-time high
KXAN Austin
State records showed more than 500 odor complaints against the Bastrop plant over 20 years, more than 300 in the previous two years. Residents organized to speak at state commission meetings.
Response / position: Darling told KXAN it 'deeply regret[s] the frustration of the local community.'
Executive Summary – Enforcement Matter, Docket No. 2024-1857-AIR-E (Darling Ingredients, Bastrop)
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (enforcement record)
The state's enforcement summary documents nuisance odors found during 2024 surveys at complainants' locations and a fence-line hydrogen sulfide reading above the state limit. It was resolved through an agreed order with a penalty.
Darling Ingredients factory annoying neighbors with smell of death
Austin Business Journal
The business paper reported on mounting neighbor complaints about odors from Darling's Bastrop-area rendering plant.
Residents Voice Concern over Darling Odors
The Messenger (Grapeland, TX)
About 20 residents told the city council that odors from the Darling plant were hurting property values. The mayor said the city was drafting a nuisance ordinance, and residents formed a committee to log odors for state regulators.
Response / position: No Darling representative attended, according to the report.
Maryland (8)
'You just accept it': Residents say Darling Ingredients odor problem is going unaddressed
The Star Democrat
Neighbors of the Linkwood poultry rendering plant (formerly Valley Proteins) describe years of odor complaints to Maryland regulators that they say haven't fixed the problem. The article also reviews the plant's water-pollution record and a 2022 consent decree.
Response / position: Darling said it has invested tens of millions of dollars in upgrades, including air-control improvements in early 2026, has addressed regulatory matters through proper processes, and offers a 24-hour odor hotline.
Eastern Shore Chicken Waste Facility Continues Pollution, Despite Years of Fines and Court Battles
Chesapeake Bay Foundation (advocacy group)
The group reported that a new state notice of violation found about 30 violations at the Linkwood plant from 2024 through 2025, including permit exceedances for nitrogen, phosphorus and E. coli, unauthorized treatment bypasses, and stormwater problems.
Records offer glimpse into rendering plant's pollution woes
Chesapeake Bay Journal
A review of state records found Darling had completed wastewater upgrades and odor-abatement measures at the Linkwood plant, but spills and neighbor odor complaints continued. A 2024 state fine is on hold pending a court challenge.
Response / position: A Darling spokeswoman said the company installed odor-suppressing equipment as required by the consent decree.
Dorchester Co. judge orders Md. Dept. of Environment to revise wastewater permit for Valley Proteins
WMDT 47abc
A county judge ruled that Maryland must revise the Linkwood plant's wastewater permit after environmental groups argued it would have allowed discharges to grow from about 150,000 to up to 575,000 gallons a day without enough pollution limits.
Maryland Fines Eastern Shore Poultry Rendering Plant $15,000 for Pollution Violations
Chesapeake Bay Foundation (advocacy group)
Maryland sought a $15,000 penalty from Darling for 51 violations of a consent-decree rule requiring empty space in its wastewater lagoons to prevent overflows, between August 2023 and March 2024.
Response / position: Darling later challenged the fine in court, arguing the decree allows higher lagoon levels after significant storms (as reported by the Bay Journal, listed above).
MD chicken rendering plant agrees to fix water, air pollution violations, pay penalty
Chesapeake Bay Journal
Under a consent decree, the Linkwood plant (then Valley Proteins, now Darling) agreed to fix wastewater problems, limit odors and pay a $540,000 state penalty plus $160,000 for water monitoring and restoration.
Consent Decree: Maryland Department of the Environment et al. v. Valley Proteins, LLC
Maryland Department of the Environment (court record)
The consent decree records 37 odor complaints to the state from 2019 to 2021 and inspector reports of offal-like odors beyond the property line, and requires an outside odor-control evaluation.
Response / position: The company stated it was aware of only seven complaint incidents, said its systems met permit requirements, and pointed to nearby farm manure spreading as a possible odor source.
ShoreRivers Calls for Increased Monitoring & Enforcement for Valley Proteins Discharge Permit
ShoreRivers (advocacy group)
At a state permit hearing, dozens of residents described odors from the Valley Proteins plant strong enough to keep them indoors and windows shut.
California (3)
Darling Ingredients, Inc. (San Francisco) agency activity log
CalEPA (multi-agency activity log)
State and local agencies summarized complaints and inspections at Darling's San Francisco rendering plant. Air district staff traced odors in some complaint investigations to Darling but documented no odor violations; the district issued a 2023 notice of violation over the plant's incinerator, and water regulators issued a 2023 storm water notice that Darling corrected. The plant is also under a 2017 storm water consent decree with San Francisco Baykeeper.
Response / position: The log reports that Darling completed the required corrective actions for the 2023 storm water notice by the deadline.
With Latest Lawsuit Settled, Darling Plant Finally Will Move
GV Wire
After decades of neighbor complaints in southwest Fresno, a settlement cleared the way for Darling's rendering plant to relocate outside town, with a 40-acre agricultural buffer.
Conroe et al. v. Darling Ingredients, Inc., No. 1:14-cv-01128 (E.D. Cal.), stipulation and order
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California (court filing, via GovInfo)
Court records show a proposed class action by residents near Darling's Fresno rendering plant over odors. This 2017 order extended a class-certification deadline because the parties were discussing settlement; the filing does not state the case's outcome.
Washington (3)
Issuance of Final Order of Approval – Darling Ingredients
Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (notice)
The regional air agency approved an order letting Darling replace fire-damaged equipment at its Tacoma rendering plant. Tacoma's city council had urged the agency to keep or strengthen odor controls.
Darling Lease Extension
Port of Tacoma (public notice)
The Port explained that Darling, whose Tacoma rendering plant closed after a 2022 fire, was negotiating a lease extension. Any new lease would need public commission approval and an air permit.
Tacoma residents plagued with unpleasant smell after malfunction at rendering plant
KIRO 7
An equipment failure at Darling's Tacoma rendering plant caused a citywide smell and prompted dozens of complaints.
Minnesota (2)
Notice of Lodging of Consent Decree, United States v. Darling International, Inc. (Clean Water Act)
Federal Register (U.S. Department of Justice notice)
A federal consent decree over pollutant discharges from Darling's Blue Earth rendering plant into the Blue Earth River and Coon Creek required compliance with discharge limits, engineering review, environmental audits and a $300,000 civil penalty.
Darling will cough up $4 million
Dallas Observer
Darling International agreed to plead guilty to five felonies and pay a $4 million fine over pollution of a Minnesota stream from its Blue Earth plant, which the U.S. Attorney called the largest environmental fine in Minnesota at the time.
New Jersey (2)
Sines et al. v. Darling Ingredients Inc., No. 2:19-cv-19121 (D.N.J.), Opinion on class certification
U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey (opinion, via Justia)
Residents sued over odors from Darling's Newark-area rendering plant and sought class status. The judge denied class certification and excluded the plaintiffs' two experts, finding the proposed class did not meet federal requirements.
Response / position: Darling moved to deny certification and to exclude the experts; the court granted both motions.
AG Grewal, DEP Commissioner McCabe Announce Lawsuit Against Newark Plant Over 'Putrid' Odors
New Jersey Attorney General (press release)
New Jersey sued Darling over 'putrid' odors from its plant in Newark's Ironbound neighborhood, alleging the odors came from its operations and that it had not complied with its operating permits since 2017.
Colorado (1)
Odors/Animal Rendering Facility: Federal Court Addresses Motion to Dismiss Nuisance/Negligence Claims (Diaz v. Darling Ingredients)
Mitchell Williams law firm (case summary)
Residents living within three miles of Darling's Denver rendering and grease plant filed a class action over odors. A federal judge let most nuisance and negligence claims proceed.
Iowa (1)
Des Moines to implement monitoring systems for foul smells
Axios Des Moines
After an odor study, Des Moines moved to install real-time monitors for hydrogen sulfide, ammonia and other compounds near three east-side facilities, including Darling's plant, to guide future odor limits.
Response / position: Darling said it was evaluating odor-control technology.
Iowa & Kansas (1)
Settlements aim to prevent oil spills at Darling Ingredients Inc. and related subsidiaries in Iowa, Kansas
U.S. EPA Region 7 (news release, archived)
Darling Ingredients and subsidiaries, including Dar Pro and Griffin Industries, agreed to pay a combined $135,000 to settle alleged Clean Water Act oil spill prevention violations at storage sites in Muscatine and Sioux City, Iowa, and Wichita and Kansas City, Kansas.
Michigan (1)
Violation Notice: Darling Ingredients, Inc., Coldwater
Michigan DEQ Air Quality Division (enforcement record)
After a complaint, state inspectors found strong rendering odors at the complainant's location and cited the plant for violating Michigan's odor rule.
South Carolina (1)
Rendering Plant Settles Odor Nuisance Suit With Neighboring Landowners
South Carolina Lawyers Weekly
Neighbors' class action over odors from a Valley Proteins rendering plant (Valley Proteins is now part of Darling) settled for $3.05 million plus injunctive relief.