North Cork Creameries not connected to large fish kill

North Cork Creameries has insisted that it is “not connected” to the recent large-scale fish kill on the Blackwater River.

Its site is located close to the Allow River in Kanturk, a tributary of the Blackwater.

“The EPA has stated that its preliminary sample results indicate no causal link between the fish kill and discharges from EPA-licensed sites. It is our understanding that the EPA is liaising with all licensed sites along the waterway,” the company told the Irish Farmers Journal.

It said it is engaging with the EPA “proactively and co-operatively, both in compliance with our licensing requirements and in line with our commitment to environmental sustainability”, which is “not considered out of the ordinary”.

“As we regularly do, we have also taken our own water samples in the river as it passes our operations and this confirmed normal water quality and normal fish activity in the waterway at our location,” the North Cork statement insisted.

“For the purposes of clarity, the area of current concern is approximately 6kmdownstream from our site.”

The EPA has confirmed it is conducting a compliance investigation into issues at North Cork Creameries related to the quality of effluent discharges into the River Allow.

“Based on the investigation to date, there is no causal link between the site’s emissions and the tragic loss of fish life further downstream in the River Blackwater,” the EPA said.

“North Cork Creameries is taking various actions on site to reduce inputs to their waste water treatment plant and restore compliance with their licence,” it added.

North Cork Creameries did not respond when asked if milk throughput at the Kanturk site had been reduced due to the EPA investigation.