EPA Prosecutes a Pig Farmer

On the 5th April 2006 at Listowel District Court, Co Kerry, a Pig Farmer (Licensee) pleaded guilty to four charges brought by the Environmental Protection Agency in relation to offences under Section 8 and Section 84 (2) of the Environmental Protection Agency Acts 1992 and 2003 for breaches of his IPC Licence (Reg. No. 308).

He admitted breaching conditions of his licence by failing to:

• notify the Agency of an emission, which had the potential for environmental contamination of surface water or ground water.
• provide a high level alarm on overground storage facilities.
• place animal tissue and carcasses in covered leakproof containers; and,
• submit to the Agency a proposal for discharge of domestic sewage to a septic tank.

On hearing details of the offences from an EPA inspector, Judge Mary O’Halloran imposed fines totalling €7,200 for breaches of conditions of his IPC licence. The EPA’s costs of €9,347 were also awarded.

The Licensee was granted an IPC licence (Reg. No. 308) on 28th August 1998 for the rearing of pigs in an integrated pig unit with capacity for 1400 sows at Glin, Co. Limerick.

This prosecution was taken following a site inspection of the facility undertaken by the Office of Environmental Enforcement on 3rd March 2005.