Farmer convicted at Coleraine Magistrates’ Court for water pollution offence that led to a fish kill
Date published:
Mr John Stewart (35), of Boyland Road, Ballymoney, Co Antrim, was convicted at Coleraine Magistrates’ Court of an offence under Article 7(1)(a) of the Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999, as amended.
Mr Stewart pleaded guilty and was fined £3,000, in addition to a £15 Offenders Levy. Mr Stewart also agreed to repay fish kill remediation costs of £1,929.80.
The Court heard that on 3 February 2025, inspectors from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) responded to a report of a significant slurry pollution incident affecting the Greenshields River, a tributary of the Ballymoney River, County Antrim.
During the investigation, inspectors established that slurry had escaped from an above-ground slurry storage tank after a valve failed. The slurry flowed through a cattle shed, across the farmyard and adjacent fields, before discharging to the Greenshields River at a number of locations.
Mr. Stewart and his family took action to stop further release of slurry and limit its impact. Despite the actions taken, the pollution was confirmed to have travelled approximately 9 kilometres downstream from its source, impacting both the Greenshields River and the Ballymoney River.
Inspectors observed significant pollution within the impacted waterways and confirmed that the incident resulted in a fish kill.
As part of the investigation, NIEA inspectors collected a statutory sample for analysis. The results confirmed the presence of poisonous, noxious or polluting matter, which had the potential to cause harm to aquatic life in the receiving watercourses.
Anyone wishing to report a water pollution incident can call the 24-hour NIEA Incident Hotline on 0800 80 70 60. Less urgent concerns can be reported via e-mail at emergency-pollution@daera-ni.gov.uk or online through the Department’s Environmental Incident Reporting System.
Notes to editors:
- It is an offence under the Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 (as amended by the Water and Sewerage Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006) under Article 7(1)(a) to make a polluting discharge to a waterway, under Article 7(2) to make a discharge of trade or sewage effluent into a waterway and under Article 7(6) for contravening the conditions of a consent issued under Article 7A3(a). This list is not exhaustive.
- The departments Water Quality Hub at: www.daera-ni.gov.uk/topics/better-choices-better-water contains information on the ongoing Better Choices, Better Water campaign.
- Further information on the regulations regarding the design, location, construction and maintenance of silage, slurry and agricultural fuel oil stores, to prevent water pollution and how these are enforced by the NIEA can be found at: www.daera-ni.gov.uk/articles/silage-slurry-and-agricultural-fuel-oil-ssafo-storage.
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