| Classification | Litigation pending (state civil enforcement suit — allegations only) |
| Company/facility | Darling Ingredients, Inc., animal rendering plant, Bastrop, Texas |
| Plaintiff | State of Texas, by Attorney General Ken Paxton, on referral from TCEQ |
| Court | Texas state court (specific court/case number not yet located) |
| Filed | February 5, 2026 |
| Last updated | September 28, 2026 |
Scope note: a meat/poultry-supply-chain rendering plant, within FAT’s processing-and-rendering scope; this matter predates FAT’s Environmental Watch tracker (launched July 30, 2026) and was identified in a September 21, 2026 new-matter search.
What the plant does
The Bastrop facility processes poultry byproducts (raw chicken, blood, feathers) and used cooking grease into animal feed and fertilizer.
What the state alleges
TCEQ documented hundreds of resident complaints since October 2025 describing odors as smelling of “boiling blood” and worse, reportedly detectable up to ten miles from the plant. The state’s petition alleges violations of the Texas Clean Air Act, including excessive hydrogen sulfide emissions, failure to properly maintain processing equipment (including pH control), failure to keep required records, and noncompliance with prior TCEQ orders directing the company to submit an odor-control plan.
Relief sought: civil penalties reported to range from under $250,000 to over $1 million, an order to cease the odor emissions, full compliance with permits and regulations, and installation of real-time hydrogen-sulfide monitoring, with corrective actions overseen by independent experts.
Reporting from late February 2026 indicated the company had begun making improvements at the facility; FAT has located no settlement, consent decree, or court ruling since. These are the state’s allegations in a civil enforcement petition; no court has yet adjudicated liability.
What FAT is tracking
- The state court petition, case number, and any answer filed by Darling Ingredients
- Any settlement, consent decree, or court ruling, and any subsequent TCEQ permit or enforcement action
- Darling Ingredients’ customer/supply-chain links (rendering byproducts feed into pet food, animal feed, and biofuel supply chains) and any FAT-relevant label or sourcing claims
- Whether this is an isolated facility issue or part of a broader multi-site pattern at Darling Ingredients
Sources
- Texas Attorney General — AG Paxton Sues Bastrop Factory for Harming Local Residents (Feb. 9, 2026)
- Texas Tribune — Texas AG sues factory after complaints of noxious smells (Feb. 9, 2026)
- KUT — Texas attorney general sues Bastrop factory after residents complain about noxious odors (Feb. 10, 2026)
- Community Impact — Texas attorney general sues Darling Ingredients for Bastrop odors (Feb. 10, 2026)
- Community Impact — Improvements to Darling Ingredients Bastrop facility underway (Feb. 24, 2026)
- KXAN — State sues Bastrop animal rendering plant for continuing foul smells
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