Reacting to news that County Councils are to deploy an additional sixty new staff to police farm water pollution, a spokesperson in Lifford said “Donegal Co. Council received sanction from the Dept. of Housing, Local Government & Heritage to take on one agricultural inspection staff member.”
We asked the Council to confirm the number of Inspectors employed in Donegal and how many of the 60 new inspectors will be deployed to this county.
In July 2022, the Council’s website sought tenders for the services of farm inspectors. It said: “A contract will be awarded for the out-sourcing of a series of Farm Inspections in various ‘At Risk’ catchments in Co. Donegal. The specification may include carrying out of investigative assessment in certain agricultural catchments, as required.
The Minister has allocated some short-term funding to local authorities to increase efforts to deal with several water quality pressures in high risk water bodies, the largest of which is agriculture.” said the Council’s advertisement for tenders.
The government now plans to carry out 4,500 inspections annually and these will specifically focus on the protection of drinking water sources. In addition to scheduled council inspections, they may also be prompted by complaints and referrals from fisheries authorities, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, planned and ad hoc cross references with the Dept. of Agriculture.
More farm inspections and follow-up enforcement is needed to reduce the risk of agricultural activities negatively impacting on water quality, the EPA said.
Joe Sweeney, Chair of Donegal IFA said the Association has a very clear policy on the importance of protecting water quality.
He said that it’s in all farming interests to ensure there is no pollution run-off from farm yards and roofs.
03-October-2024
03/10/2024
