Dundrod farmer fined for pollution offence

A Co Antrim farmer was convicted in his absence and fined £5,000 plus £40 Court costs at Antrim Magistrates’ Court on 1 February 2010 for a pollution offence.

On 18 January 2008, a Water Quality Inspector, acting on behalf of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (formerly the Environment and Heritage Service), observed significant fungal growth on the bed of the tributary of the Glenavy River.

The source of the polluting discharge was traced to the outfarm premises on Ballyminymore Road, owned by Mr Jordan. The inspector found that slurry from cattle sheds, silage from the silage pit and the fluid from three decomposing cows was mixing with storm water in the yard area which then flowed down the sloping yard and into a lagoon. The effluent from this lagoon was then discharging to the waterway via an underground pipe.

Samples taken at the time of the incident confirmed that the discharge containe d poisonous, noxious and polluting matter harmful to fish life in the receiving watercourse.

Notes to editors:

1. Mr Jordan was charged under Article 7(1)(a) of the Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 with the offence of making a polluting discharge to a waterway.
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