Environment « Thurles Information

Regulatory Compliance On Farms Essential To Protect And Improve Water Quality.

The National Agricultural Inspection Programme (NAIP) Report details the findings of the farm inspections completed by local authorities in 2025, as required under the Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters Regulations.
Local authorities inspected 4,315 farms in 2025 – 96% of the annual target of 4,500 set by the EPA and a 66% increase on 2024.
Of these, 43% of farms were found to be non-compliant with the relevant regulations.
Follow-up inspections by local authorities found 48% of these farms had remediated the issues and were compliant as a result.
2,935 enforcement actions were taken by local authorities.
1,555 additional local authority inspections were completed arising from complaints, incidents and planning applications.
Poor farm management practices are the main reasons for non-compliances and, in particular, poor control of soiled water, discharges with potential to impact water quality and inadequate management of farmyard manure.

**Scum of unknown content clearly visible in river Suir, in Thurles town centre**.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released The National Agricultural Inspection Programme (NAIP) report which details farm inspections completed by local authorities in 2025. The NAIP aims to achieve higher levels of compliance and strengthen enforcement with the Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters Regulations and in doing so reduce the impacts of agricultural activity on water quality.

The EPA has set inspection targets for each local authority under the NAIP, which prioritises areas where agricultural activity poses the greatest risk to water quality. In 2025, 4,315 farms were inspected by local authorities, which is 96% of the annual target of 4,500 set by the EPA.

**Problem not all caused by the farming community: Supermarket trolley in bed with River Suir water lilies.**

These inspections found a non-compliance rate of 43% due to poor farming practices or management. Some of the main reasons for non-compliance include:

Uncontrolled run-off from farmyard manure,
Inadequate management of silage pits,
Silage effluent discharging to groundwater,
Clean water not properly segregated and soiled water not properly managed,
Inadequate storage capacity,
Inadequate management and control of slurry.

Poor farming management practices can pollute rivers, streams and coastal waters through the release of nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorous. Harmful pathogens and nitrates may also pose a risk to human health through contamination of drinking water wells and/or abstraction sources.

Commenting on the report, Dr Tom Ryan, Director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement said: “The significant increase in the number of farm inspections carried out by local authorities in 2025 is welcomed. Agriculture remains a significant pressure on our water quality and the non-compliance rate found during inspections remains too high. Farm compliance with the Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters Regulations is essential to protecting and improving water quality. In addition, a more consistent and sustained enforcement effort is needed across all local authorities to ensure full compliance with these Regulations and to protect public health and the environment.”

Follow-up inspections by local authorities are critical to ensure that non-compliances are remediated. In addition, non-compliant farmers may be subject to enforcement actions which may result in a penalty to their Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) Scheme payments, a prosecution or a combination of both. A total of 2,935 enforcement actions were taken by local authorities in 2025.

Mr Ray Cullinane, Acting Programme Manager, Office of Environmental Enforcement said: “Local authorities must sustain the increased level of farm-inspection activity achieved in 2025. To address the high non-compliance rate, local authorities should increase follow-up inspections to close out outstanding cases and ensure full compliance with the relevant Regulations. In parallel, local authorities, advisory services and industry stakeholders must also strengthen compliance-promotion and awareness-raising activities to support farmers in meeting their regulatory obligations”.

The National Agricultural Inspection Programme Summary Report 2025 is available on the EPA Website.

Ireland Faces EU Court Action Over Peat Cutting Enforcement.

Ireland Faces EU Court Action Over Peat Cutting Enforcement And Why It Matters for Our Bogs.

The European Commission has referred Ireland to the Court of Justice of the European Union over what it says is a failure to properly enforce EU environmental rules on peat cutting.

The case centres on Ireland’s obligations under the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive, which requires projects likely to have significant environmental effects; including peat extraction, to be assessed before they proceed.

According to the Commission, there is still “significant peat cutting activity” taking place without planning permission or environmental impact assessment, particularly on sites under 50 hectares. While Ireland has made legislative changes over the years, Brussels says those changes have not been matched by effective enforcement on the ground.

The issue is not new. It dates back to EU environmental rules first introduced in 1985, with Ireland previously brought before the European Court of Justice in the late 1990s. Although Irish laws were later amended, the Commission says follow-up enforcement remained inadequate.

Since 2020, Ireland has taken major steps to halt peat cutting by Bord na Móna, and rehabilitation of former industrial bog sites is now underway, with support from EU recovery funding. The Environmental Protection Agency has also pursued enforcement against private commercial operators on sites over 50 hectares, leading some operators to cease activity.
However, the Commission says illegal or unauthorised peat cutting continues, and that local-level enforcement has not been sufficient.

This issue is also relevant to Co. Tipperary, where protected raised bog habitats form part of the county’s natural heritage. Sites such as Kilcarren-Firville Bog highlight the importance of safeguarding peatlands from extraction, drainage and habitat damage.

It is also worth noting the political sensitivity of this issue. Ireland currently has public representatives in both Leinster House and the European Parliament whose political careers were strongly shaped by the turf-cutting and bog-rights campaigns. Mr Michael Fitzmaurice TD, now a Roscommon–Galway TD, was previously chairperson of the Turf Cutters and Contractors Association, while Mr Luke “Ming” Flanagan MEP has long been associated with defending traditional turf-cutting rights in rural Ireland. Their continued presence in national and European politics shows how deeply this issue remains rooted in rural communities, livelihoods, tradition, conservation, and EU environmental law.

Peatlands are more than traditional landscapes. They store carbon, support biodiversity, help regulate water, and form part of Ireland’s environmental identity. The EU court referral is therefore not just a legal matter — it is a reminder that protecting bogs requires clear rules, strong enforcement, and real action on the ground.

EPA Projections Show Ireland Remains Off Track For 2030 Climate Targets.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today published its greenhouse gas emission projections for the period 2025-2055.

Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions could achieve a reduction of up to 25% by 2030, compared to a national target of 51%, with full implementation of a wide range of policies and plans across all sectors.
Ireland will be close to meeting the first carbon budget, but nearly all sectors are on track to exceed their sectoral emissions ceilings for the second carbon budget by 2030.
Ireland is projected to exceed its EU Effort Sharing Regulation target of 42% reduction by 2030. EPA projects a maximum reduction of 23%.
With less than four years left to 2030, there must be a strong focus on implementation of policies and measures to meet climate targets which will deliver wide-ranging benefits from environmental protection, supporting public health and wellbeing and reducing Ireland’s dependence on fossil fuels.

EPA analysis shows that Ireland’s planned climate policies and measures could deliver reductions of up to 25% of emissions by 2030, compared to 2018 levels. Assessment of the latest information provided by Governmental bodies and sector representatives indicates that the gap to target is widening in some sectors of the economy, while narrowing in others.

Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions are projected to be close to meeting the first Carbon Budget (2021-2025) of 295 Mt CO2eq. The second budget is projected to be exceeded by a significant margin of 53 to 82 Mt CO2eq.

Transport, Industry and the Buildings (Commercial and Public) sectors are projected to be the furthest from achieving their sectoral emission ceilings in 2030. Agriculture emissions are projected to reduce by up to 19%.

Dr Eimear Cotter, EPA Director General, said: “The EPA’s projections show that the current rate of delivery of the Climate Action Plan and associated policies could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030 – only half of the reductions needed. While greenhouse gas emissions are declining, European and national emission reduction targets are projected to be missed. There must be a renewed focus on delivering the actions to meet Ireland’s climate targets which will be a significant challenge given the short timeframe to 2030.”

Dr Cotter added: “Meeting these targets will deliver multiple benefits. These include reducing Ireland’s reliance on fossil fuels in electricity, transport and heating and strengthening national energy security and resilience. Achieving these emission reductions will also improve public health, provide green employment and protect our environment. Overall, these trends demonstrate that progress is achievable but accelerating delivery is critical. Renewable energy is now expected to provide nearly 60% of Ireland’s electricity by 2030. It is imperative given the increasing demand for electricity across several sectors, that renewables are delivered at the pace and scale required to meet this demand.”

Agriculture.
Depending on the level of implementation of measures outlined in Government policies and plans, total emissions from the Agriculture sector will decrease between 4% and 19% over the period of 2018 to 2030. Changes in nitrogen fertiliser usage, switching to different fertilisers and lower anticipated livestock numbers contribute to projected emissions savings. A direct comparison of the Agriculture sector against its absolute Sectoral Emission Ceiling is no longer possible given recent scientific updates to baseline historical agriculture emissions.

Transport.
Emissions from Transport are projected to reduce by up to 28% over the period 2018 to 2030, if the measures set out in plans and policies are implemented. These include at least 751,000 electric vehicles on the road by 2030, increased biofuel blend rates and measures to support more sustainable transport.

Residential Emissions.
Emissions from fuel combustion for home and hot water heating are projected to decrease by up to 18% by 2030. Lower uptake of home energy improvement measures, including planned heat pump installation in existing dwellings, has lowered predictions for emissions savings by 2030.

Industry.
Fuel combustion in manufacturing is the primary source of emissions in this sector; emissions from mineral, chemical and metal industries contribute the next largest portion. Emissions from this sector are projected to reduce by 12% over the period 2018 to 2030.

Energy.
Continued rollout of renewable electricity generation to provide 52% – 59% of Ireland’s electricity by 2030 as well as increased importation of electricity from interconnectors, are contributing to reductions in Ireland’s emissions. However, delayed delivery of planned renewable energy projects such as offshore wind have lowered potential emissions savings by 2030.

Land use.
Emissions from this sector are projected to increase between 4% to 72% over the period of 2018 to 2030 as Irish forestry reaches harvesting age, and shifts from being a carbon sink to a source of emissions. Planned policies and measures for the sector, such as increased afforestation, water table management on agricultural organic soils and peatland rehabilitation are projected to reduce the extent of the emissions increase.

Commenting, Dr Conor Quinlan, Programme Manager said: “The shortfall to our 2030 targets is narrowing in some sectors, for example emissions in the Transport sector are now projected to reduce by up to 28%. Encouragingly, projections for electric vehicle uptake has improved, reflecting growing confidence in the transition to cleaner transport. In contrast, the gap is widening in others such as the Residential sector which is projected now to reduce by up to 18%. It is imperative that ambition and action is maintained across all sectors if we are to meet our targets and realise the benefits of decarbonisation for our society.”

For further detail on these figures, see the EPA report Greenhouse Gas Emission Projections 2025 to 2055 and EPA Greenhouse Gas web resource on the EPA website.

River Suir in Thurles: Fine Words Are Not Enough.

River Suir in Thurles; Fine words are not enough, while the river Suir remains in a state of further decline.

Looking skyward from Barry’s Bridge in Thurles, my eyes are drawn to the golden Laburnum I planted there in 1989, now grown into the full grace of maturity. Along the eastern bank of the River Suir, the Hawthorn too is in bloom, softening the riverside walkway with its delicate spring beauty.
Yet, for all this natural splendour, the exposed bed of the Suir successfully dims the scene, drawing the eye away from the quiet enchantment of tree, blossom, bridge, and river.

Reading a local newspaper report recently, one wonders, has Cllr Mrs Kay Cahill Skehan actually walked along the River Suir in Thurles recently and has she observed the current condition it is in?

The video shown below is only a small example of what people in Thurles are expected to look at: shopping trolleys dumped, plastic, debris, waste caught along the banks, and a general appearance that is simply unacceptable for a river running through the heart of a busy historic, midland town.

Two very large piles of shredded timber are currently located, dumped within approximately half a metre of the river’s edge, following recent tree-pruning works in the area.

This presents a serious environmental and flood-related risk. In the event of heavy rainfall or flooding over the coming months, the lightweight shredded timber is likely to float and be carried downstream. Once saturated, the material may also release tannins, resins and other wood leachate into the water, which can degrade water quality and harm aquatic life. Research on wood residue near aquatic environments notes that wood leachate can have harmful effects on fish and aquatic habitats.
As both piles appear to be located within a flood-risk area and immediately adjacent to the riverbank, they should be removed and relocated without delay. If immediate removal is not possible, the piles should at minimum be securely covered with heavy-duty tarpaulin and properly weighted or fastened to prevent displacement during heavy rain or rising water levels.
We won’t mention the nice piles of logs, as some smart individual might decide to bag them for use as firing next winter.

**Whatever other effluent is being washed into the river water, same forms a rich soapy caught by the overhanging vegetation..**

We have reported this matter to the Local Authority and request that urgent action be taken to prevent potential pollution, obstruction, and downstream environmental damage.

Cllr Mrs Cahill Skehan is correct when she says the River Suir is a huge issue for Thurles. She is also correct in stating that people notice it more when water levels drop. But the people of Thurles do not need more sympathy. What they crave is action.

There is also a wider issue here. Her brother, former Fianna Fáil TD and former Chair of the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee Mr Jackie Cahill, recently appointed Chairperson of the National Milk Agency by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon in April 2026, was also a prominent critic of the reduction in Ireland’s nitrates derogation from 250kg to 220kg organic nitrogen per hectare, warning of serious consequences for the dairy sector.

Indeed, no one sector should carry all the blame. But we also have to be honest. Nitrogen leaching, nitrates, agricultural run-off and intensive land use are a major part of the water-quality problem in the River Suir.
Farmers cannot be blamed for shopping trolleys dumped in the River Suir, but agriculture cannot be written out of the wider pollution picture either.

So where does that leave Thurles?
It leaves us with a river that is visibly neglected, environmentally under pressure, and politically talked about for the last 15 years with absolutely no action being taken.
Local Authority Waters Programme officials, (LAWPRO), may be sampling water. Reports may be being written. Presentations may be being given, but no one needs a scientific investigation to view shopping trolleys in the river. No one needs a catchment study to identify rubbish, plastic, clothing and debris sitting in plain sight. This is the work of highly paid Municipal District officials.

If Cllr Mrs Cahill Skehan is serious about the River Suir being an issue for Thurles, then the question must be asked; what immediate action is being demanded from Tipperary County Council and the other relevant authorities, to clean what is clearly visible today?
The public are tired of hearing that “work is ongoing”, while the river remains a total eyesore.

Thurles deserves better than this. The River Suir should be an asset to the town, not something people are embarrassed to walk past, holding their noses.

Responsibility must be shared, yes; but responsibility must also be acted upon.

Shannon Pipeline Project Moves Forward, Despite Strong Tipperary Opposition.

The controversial Water Supply Project for the Eastern and Midlands Region has cleared another major hurdle, after its business case was approved by the Uisce Éireann board and noted by Government.

The decision allows the project, which would take water from the River Shannon at Parteen Basin and pipe it towards the Greater Dublin Area, to move into its next phase, including procurement and tendering. Uisce Éireann says the scheme is needed to reduce the east coast’s dependence on the River Liffey and to provide a more secure water supply for up to half the State’s population.

Under the proposal, water would be abstracted from the lower Shannon, treated near Birdhill in Co Tipperary, and then transported through Tipperary, Offaly and Kildare to Peamount in Dublin. Uisce Éireann says the project would involve taking a maximum of 2% of the long-term average flow at Parteen Basin and insists its studies show no negative impact on Shannon water levels or water quality.

However, the plan has faced sustained opposition across Co Tipperary and the wider Shannon region. Local concerns centre on the principle of removing water from the Shannon system to serve the east of the country, with opponents questioning whether enough has been done to protect Lough Derg, the Lower Shannon, wildlife habitats, farming communities and local water needs. Others argue that Dublin’s supply problems should be tackled first through leak reduction, conservation and upgrades to existing infrastructure before a multi-billion euro pipeline is advanced.

There are also concerns among landowners along the proposed route, including disruption during construction, compulsory purchase issues, long-term restrictions on land use and the scale of works required for a 170km pipeline. Critics in Tipperary have repeatedly described the project as one that asks rural communities to carry the environmental and construction burden for the benefit of the capital.

Uisce Éireann has defended the scheme as essential national infrastructure. It says the project would not only serve Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow, but could also create a treated-water “spine” with future offtakes for communities in Tipperary, Offaly and Westmeath.

Gary Gibson, Senior Programme Manager with the Water Supply Project Eastern and Midlands Region, states that the utility is already seeking contractors as the project progresses. If planning is secured, Uisce Éireann has previously indicated that construction could begin in 2028 and take around five years to complete.