For years, the unbearable stench of rotting meat has been making life unbearable for the residents of Tlumach in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. People complain that they cannot even open their windows, and that freshly washed clothes left outside immediately take on the characteristic odour. Among the complaints is the pollution of the river, into which water from the reservoirs of the local meat processing plant ‘M’yasodar’ is allegedly flowing. However, the company denies this.
The media outlet “Suspilne” reported on this story in detail.
According to residents, the unpleasant odour has been emanating from the plant for years, whatever the season.
“You open the window to air the place out — your clothes end up smelling, and a persistent odour lingers throughout the flat. A child can’t go out for a walk in the evening. You can’t even open the door. Well, it’s just awful,” said local resident Viktoria Rybak, who lives within 500 metres of the plant.
Source: Suspilne Ivano-Frankivsk
The woman adds that the stench usually starts after 21:00, and this has been the case for four years. She also shared with journalists her observation that after residents filed complaints, the meat-processing plant became more active in pumping out water from the settling ponds at night.
Petro Basura, who lives 300 m from "Myasodar," is also dissatisfied with the specific neighborhood. He associates the smell, in particular, with pollution of the Tlumachyk River. According to him, wastewater from the company’s settling reservoirs gets into the river through pipes and groundwater.
“There is no concrete sarcophagus, nothing. It’s just a cesspit, simply a pit dug by an excavator. Some part of the water may go through the pipes, and some just flows over the ground. When there was less grass, less hogweed, I used to go there. Everything is clearly visible. You could drown in that swamp, in all those manure pits,” the man emphasizes.
Source: Suspilne Ivano-Frankivsk
The company’s position
At the meat-processing plant, journalists from "Suspilne" were assured that all regulations are being followed, and the management sees no problem with the smell.
“We wash the workshop, disinfect with licensed products. The technologist orders chemicals that dissolve fats. When we clean the workshop, we spray it with acetic acid, which flows down several circuits of pipes. The first circuit, then the second sedimentation, and by the third – only clean water drains,” explains Taras Skomorovskyi, the head and co-owner of "Myasodar."
He added that the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection inspects the enterprise quarterly, and the products are sold not only in Ukraine but also in Azerbaijan and Georgia.
The company’s director also denies that water is discharged from the reservoirs into the river. Instead, he says, it is pumped out by special vehicles, the number of which depends on the number of animals slaughtered. The last water collection took place on June 22.
Someone Is Not Telling the Truth
Journalists decided to verify this information at KP "Tlumachkomunservis," with which "Myasodar" allegedly has a contract to pump water from the reservoirs.
Проте виявилося, що комунальники забирають лише господарські фекалії з туалетів. Це підтвердив і головний інженер комунального підприємства Ярослав Онищук, і головна бухгалтерка Марія Гнатюк.
Коли "Суспільне" хотіло уточнити інформацію у керівника "М’ясодара", той відповів різко.
"You have already called there, to that company today. Why are you calling me again? I do not know what they are saying, I have an agreement with them. They may say different things. Are you an investigator or what? You were here – I gave an interview," Taras Skomorovskyi retorted.
Source: Suspilne Ivano-Frankivsk
Officials do not notice the odor
Residents say they contacted the Tlumach City Council throughout 2025. However, they did not see any concrete actions taken to solve the problem. The city council ignored the journalists – first, the mayor was not present, then later stopped responding altogether.
The deputy mayor said that city council representatives sent a letter to the Regional State Service on Food Safety and Consumer Protection (State Service), requesting an inspection of the enterprise. Similar requests were sent last year as well.
In 2025, an unscheduled inspection of Myasodar was carried out, but the State Service did not find any violations.
"During the unscheduled state control measure, no violations of legislation regarding handling by-products of animal origin were found. There was no unpleasant odor on the company premises during the unscheduled measure of state control. The facts stated in the complaint were not confirmed," said Ivan Vaskiv, Head of the Food Safety and Veterinary Medicine Department of the Regional State Service.
Meanwhile, the State Environmental Inspectorate has not conducted any inspections at the meat processing plant since 2022. They refer to martial law restrictions. Scheduled studies of the water bodies in the Tlumach community will be conducted from June 29 to July 3.
Residents of Tlumach also filed a complaint with the police. Pre-trial investigation has begun in one criminal case concerning the activities of Myasodar LLC. It concerns Part 2 of Article 364-1 of the Criminal Code, "Abuse of authority by an official of a legal entity under private law, regardless of its organizational and legal form".
EcoPolitic previously reported that Lisne Lake near the city of Volodymyr is gradually becoming unsuitable for swimming. Locals accuse the tenant, who is a local council member, of improper care for the protected area. At the same time, the legality of the territory's lease itself is in question.
