The Department of Agriculture has confirmed to the Irish Farmers Journal that no fines have been issued as of yet to retailers who were found to have sold creosote treated products after the 30 April deadline that made their sale illegal.

Regular inspections are carried out by the Department regarding the controls on the placing on the market and use of biocidal products (SI No 427 of 2013), with this covering creosote treated timber.

Regarding fining, the Department stated: "Provisions exist for fines, including fixed payment notices of €250. No fines have issued to date in relation to creosote controls.

"The number of inspections is decided using a risk-based approach and is continually kept under review.’’

As per EU regulations, the placing of creosote treated products on the market is banned since 30 April this year.

Alternatives

Several alternatives are currently being explored by treatment companies, with copper oil-based and coal oil-based treatments proving to be some of the more popular options.

However, with the pricing of some treated posts 50% higher than that of creosote posts, some farmers may look to other alternatives to timber posts.