A group in the tiny community of Maidstone in Bay St. George is protesting a local farm which they say is ruining their community with the foul stench of fish waste.

"There's four to six tractor-trailer loads a day going down through our community. We can't go outside, we can't live in our homes. We smell it in our homes, we smell it in our vehicles," Sharon Piccott, a protestor, told CBC News on Tuesday.

"It seems like to no avail are we getting any help from any government agencies."

However, farm owner, Brent Chaffey, told CBC News he may only receive six loads in a week, ranging in sizes from one small tub to maybe three large loads in a single day. Chaffey added that his farm will also go days and even weeks without a shipment.

Piccott said people living in the town have grown used to the familiar scents from the dairy farm, New World Dairy, which is located roughly 80 kilometres southeast of Stephenville on Newfoundland's west coast.

But now, she said, cow manure is being mixed with the fish waste making for something far stinkier than the town has grown accustomed to.

According to Chaffey, his farm is utilizing an aerobic digester which uses heat and water to turn waste into power. In turn it helps his farm produce electricity. He can also produce nutrient-rich water for crops and fertilizer for cow beds.

Chaffey said the material left over from this process has no real scent to it, likening the smell to fresh earth. He also said the water obtained through the process, which is then used on field and crops, doesn't have a particularly strong smell.

He calls the protest group, "chronic objectionists," who continually complain about his operation. Chaffey added that the farming industry is heavily regulated and he hasn't been found to be doing anything wrong.

But Piccott said that friends and family refuse to visit anymore because of the smell she is attributing to Chaffey's farm.

Protestors are unhappy with the foul stench they say is coming from New World Dairy. (Troy Turner/CBC)

"It's the most disgusting, nauseating smell," she said.

On Tuesday, while Piccott spoke to CBC News there was no smell in the community. She attributed that to the wind direction, and said it plays a factor in whether or not the scent from New World Dairy blankets the surrounding area.

She also said that the trucks bringing fish waste into the community weren't coming on Tuesday because of the protest.

"It's ironic that today we don't have the smell, we don't see the trucks going up and down the road," she said.

Looking for help

According to Piccott the powerful smell began seven months ago.

That's when she began writing letters to government, including MHA Scott Reid, former provincial Environment Minister Perry Trimper, current provincial Environment Minister Derrick Bragg, Premier Dwight Ball and federal MP Gudie Hutchings.

The new smell from a local dairy farm has been blanketing the community for seven months, says Piccott. (Troy Turner/CBC)

The only response Piccott received, she said, was that there would be an investigation into the smell.

"What does it take to get somebody to act on this? This is major, it's affecting everybody's life. The politicians and the agencies in government are supposed to be there to protect the life and sustainability of the communities," she said.

"And that's not happening. We haven't had any support."

According to Chaffey, nothing on his farm has changed in the last seven months and he hasn't noticed a change in the smell. He said he began utilizing fish waste over a year ago as part of a pilot project with the province.

Chaffey said that he would be willing to meet with anyone who has concerns about his farm to try to reach a solution.

But, until something changes for the residents of Maidstone and surrounding communities, Piccott said the protest will go on with more letters to government agencies.

"Right now our life is taken away, and we're just tired of it." she said.

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador