The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have listed two pig farms and three co-ops on its national priority sites system for 2024.

The system uses performance-based indicators to rank industrial and waste licensed sites in order of priority for enforcement with scores assigned under indicators of environmental performance and licence compliance, complaints, incidents, non-compliances and compliance investigations.

A farmer in Longford with an intensive pig enterprise made the list for issues regarding discharges to water. Similarly, CRM Pigs Limited in Co Cavan is on the list for the same issue.

In total, 10 sites were named on the system for 2024 including three creameries or co-ops and two anaerobic digestion systems.

Each of the co-ops, North Cork Co-op Creameries Limited, Tipperary Co-op Creamery Limited, and Aurivo Consumer Foods Limited in Donegal, have issues relating to discharge in water.

Meanwhile, Glenmore Biogas in Donegal had issues with odour and Timoleague Agri Gen Limited in Cork had infrastructure issues.

Some 90% of these sites have been prosecuted or have legal action pending.

Compliance

The EPA said that significant enforcement efforts have been directed at these sites accordingly, resulting in increased investment by the licensee and compliance improvements.

Only three of the sites remained as priority sites going into 2025; North Cork Creameries, Timoleague Agri Gen Limited and Tipperary Co-operative Creamery Limited.

However, North Cork Creameries was removed from the list in quarter one of 2025.

Some 634 sites, or 70% of all sites in Ireland, were inspected by the EPA in 2024. Tipperary Co-op was inspected 15 time in total over 2024.

Seven cases were concluded in the district court and one case in the circuit court in 2024, during which fines of €29,500 and total costs of €145,300 were awarded to the EPA in the district court.

The EPA approved a further 10 Bord na Móna rehabilitation plans in 2024, covering 4,021ha. \ Philip Doyle

Peat extraction

The EPA also dedicated significant resources in 2024 to tackle the illegal large-scale extraction of peat including 42 site visits.

These targeted 38 peatlands across seven different counties: Kildare, Longford, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Westmeath, and Tipperary.

The EPA approved a further 10 Bord na Móna rehabilitation plans in 2024, covering 4,021ha.

To the end of 2024, 18,861ha of rehabilitation works have been completed by Bord na Móna.