A Co Cork dairy farmer has been fined €8,000 at Midleton District Court following a prosecution taken by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI).
On Thursday 12 November, Brian Duncan pleaded guilty before Judge Patricia Harney to polluting the Douglas River at Garryduff, Dungourney, Co Cork in April 2018.
The court heard that an initial discharge of slurry from his farmyard was followed by further reoccurrences, resulting in a number of court adjournments and hearings to allow completion of court-directed remedial works.
IFI gave evidence that the river had been severely polluted by the slurry discharges, which had rendered the riverine habitat inaccessible to spawning trout and salmon.
Evidence was also given that Duncan was running a large farm with a dairy herd in excess of 1,000 and that he had invested significantly in improving his yard facilities since the initial incident.
Judge Harney convicted Duncan under Section 171 (1) of the Fisheries Consolidation Act 1959 and Section 3 (1) of The Local Government Water Pollution Act 1977, awarding full costs and expenses of €8,139 to IFI.
While noting the remedial works, Sean Long, director of the South Western River Basin District, said: “Livestock manure and other organic fertilisers, effluents and soiled water have the potential to cause devastating effects on our fisheries resource.
“Good farmyard management and using preventative measures helps stop accidental discharges of polluting substances and protects the local environment, which will have a significant and lasting positive impact on valuable wild fish populations and general wellbeing in an area.
“I urge the farming community to remain vigilant to the risk of pollution from yards and slurry tanks. Inland Fisheries Ireland has a confidential hotline number to enable members of the general public to report incidents of water pollution, fish kills and illegal fishing – 1890 34 74 24 or 1890 FISH 24.’”
To prevent waters from being polluted by nitrogen and phosphorus when land-spreading, IFI advises farmers to refer to Good Agricultural Practice Regulations guidance on www.agriculture.gov.ie
