Yet another huge Fish Kill from Slurry!

Ptarmigan

Member
Why oh why do we see this happening ... every year?

Do farmers need to start serving a prison sentence, before we see an end to this regular pollution?

"Up to fifteen mile of river could be affected, including the Drumragh which is an important salmon river and the Strule. There is extensive damage and a huge number of fish killed between Dromore and Omagh.

Major pollution incident sees 100,000 gallons of slurry released into Northern Ireland river!

Fish kill on River Drumragh, Omagh, Co Tyrone, NI:
 

RobFZS

Member
100k gallons is more of a cockup than done on purpose, not sure what jail will do either? putting someone in the pokey for a couple years wont pay for a slurry store.
 

Ptarmigan

Member
100k gallons is more of a cockup than done on purpose, not sure what jail will do either? putting someone in the pokey for a couple years wont pay for a slurry store.

Oh I'm sure it wasn't done on purpose, but gross negligence like this which results in an environmental disaster, surely needs to be severely punished to deter others from being so lackadaisical when they are responsible for looking after our countryside.
 

Dry Rot

Member
Livestock Farmer
Can't find the report again, but it was stated that the biggest offenders in river pollution are local councils discharging sewage and ignoring regulations.

Note that the above report states, "...possibly herbicide or pesticide". So they don't actually know the cause, do they?
 

Ptarmigan

Member
I notice that they did manage to identify the source of the slurry which caused all the fish death on the river in Tyrone, but no mention of whether any prosecutions will follow.

Loughs Agency identifies source of slurry spill into Co Tyrone river.

As for the Armagh Fish Kill MF565 this report states that it was ~ "blamed on pollution from farm waste."

Bessbrook fish kill blamed on farm waste pollution!

In this article they speak of one farmer who was ~ fined £7,000 and got a suspended jail sentence. ... but, given that these incidents / accidents occur far too frequently, perhaps it's time that these sentences became much more severe.
 

Dry Rot

Member
Livestock Farmer
Read a report somewhere else that the majority of pollution incidents are caused by councils who ignore guidelines and release human sewage into rivers at inappropriate times and conditions. As I am not into council bashing, I didn't make a note of the URL. But hey ho!

However, I did make a note not to permit the RSPB and other self appointed snoopers and farmer bashers onto my land as they are just out to score points, not to protect birds.
 
Read a report somewhere else that the majority of pollution incidents are caused by councils who ignore guidelines and release human sewage into rivers at inappropriate times and conditions. As I am not into council bashing, I didn't make a note of the URL. But hey ho!

However, I did make a note not to permit the RSPB and other self appointed snoopers and farmer bashers onto my land as they are just out to score points, not to protect birds.


Are we to assume that you no longer live in Scotland?
 

milkloss

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
East Sussex
I am guessing there is also a lot of pollution of the water system from run off from roads, salt among other things (without thinking of particle pollution brake dust and wear from tyres as well as engine emissions), but no one ever worries about road pollution because we all like to drive our cars!

I think half the reason rivers don’t get dredged is because the spoil is hazardous waste and they don’t know what to do with it.
 

melted welly

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
DD9.
I am guessing there is also a lot of pollution of the water system from run off from roads, salt among other things (without thinking of particle pollution brake dust and wear from tyres as well as engine emissions), but no one ever worries about road pollution because we all like to drive our cars!

There's something in that. I've noticed that after cold dry spells in winter where there's been a lot of salt spread, if we then get heavy rain, the run off from the main road foams in the waterways to the extent that I've walked the stream to find where it's come from as it looks like fairy liquid. Assume it's the same as the spume you see on the coastline.

As an aside in 2010 (memory???) during the very cold winter, some local authorities ran low on salt and were trying to buy urea to spread instead..........
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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