A total of 66 warning letters were issued last year to farmers by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) regarding potential water pollution issues.

The letters served as a formal notice from IFI regarding possible breaches of fisheries legislation.

IFI also confirmed to the Irish Farmers Journal that it concluded six agricultural environmental cases last year, initiated five such cases in 2024. It also successfully prosecuted cases against landowners in the past 18 to 24 months.

“Warning letters outline measures that must be taken by the person to prevent or control the pollution of the waters concerned, and that there may be further enforcement action taken if measures aren’t executed to remediate or prevent water pollution.

“It is an offence to cause or permit any polluting matter to enter watercourses,” the IFI said.

Both the letters and legal proceedings arose as a result of investigations by IFI, of which 2,750 were conducted by the fisheries body in an agricultural setting last year.

The most common problems found in agricultural investigations were silage effluent entering watercourses and gravel removal, habitat damage or removal of riparian vegetation.

Soiled water run-off from farmyards into watercourses, clean and soiled water management, poor slurry and silage effluent management and inappropriate slurry spreading were also common issues, according to IFI.

IFI said the legislation farmers are most commonly in breach of include the Fisheries Consolidation Act, the Local Government (Water Pollution) Act and the EU Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters (GAP) Regulations.

In recent weeks, IFI appealed to farmers and contractors to help protect Ireland’s rivers and lakes from agricultural pollution during the silage season.