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North Cork Creameries Co-op has been ordered to pay €7,500 to a local angling club after it pleaded guilty on two charges of pollution at Mallow District Court on Tuesday 17 September.
The charges came under fisheries and local government legislation and followed on from an investigation by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) in relation to a pollution incident, which occurred on the River Allow at Kanturk, Co Cork, during August 2018.
Milk spillage
The court heard that the pollution resulted from a milk spillage during a tanker loading process at the company’s production facility in Kanturk, which then discharged to the river.
Judge Brian Sheridan granted probation after hearing evidence that the defendant company had made a significant investment to upgrade its facilities in recent years and that a conviction would have a detrimental effect on the company’s well-being.
The court awarded €2,654 for costs and expenses to IFI and ordered the co-operative to make a payment of €7,500 to the local angling club.
Probation
North Cork Creameries Co-operative had been successfully prosecuted by IFI in the circuit court in 2012 for similar offences and it also received the benefit of the Probation Act in the district court in 2018, following a prosecution by Cork County Council under the Local Government (Water Pollution) Act.
Protection of fish stocks is vital to maintaining an extremely valuable natural resource
Commenting on the case, IFI senior fisheries environmental officer Andrew Gillespie, said: “Protection of fish stocks is vital to maintaining an extremely valuable natural resource for the benefit of local and tourist anglers alike.
“The River Allow and its tributaries are a prized recreational angling resource, with much of the catchment soon to benefit from the locally-managed and government-funded Duhallow Farming for Blue Dot Catchments project.
“The project aims to improve the river water quality and biodiversity via the implementation of beneficial measures by farmers and landowners.”
Members of the public can report instances of illegal fishing, water pollution or invasive species by calling Inland Fisheries Ireland’s confidential hotline number on 1890 34 74 24 or 1890 FISH 24.
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