IFI secures conviction against cheese maker for slurry pollution offence.
Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has secured a conviction against a dairy production firm for slurry pollution of a tributary of the River Suir, and have been ordered to pay fines and costs of €7,440.
Slurry in Clover River latter a tributary of the River Suir. Pic: Courtesy Inland Fisheries Ireland.
Commenting, Ms Lynda Connor(South-Eastern regional director at IFI) said: “The Clover River was found to be in a poor condition, with polluting material discharging into this river from a drain full of slurry”. Ms Connor added “Ensuring clean and healthy water is not just a responsibility, but a necessity for the survival of fish and the ecosystems they thrive in. This successful prosecution is part of Inland Fisheries Ireland’s very determined efforts to protect the State’s rivers, streams, and lakes.”
The court heard the evidence for the defence did not match up with photographs which showed deep slurry in the water, not just a spillage, and the issue had been ongoing for a considerable time before action was taken.
It was noted that the pollution constituted a very serious breach on the part of The Tipperary Cheese Company Ltd.
Evidence was given by IFI Fisheries Environmental Officer Mr Oliver McGrath who outlined the facts to the court. The incident took place in December 2023 and was heard at Thurles District Court on February 18th 2025.
IFI urge people to report water pollution, illegal fishing activity, habitat destruction, fish kills or issues of concern in their local rivers/lakes; to its confidential 24/7 number, 0818 34 74 24.
Inland Fisheries Ireland have gained a conviction against the environmental engineering firm, named as Glanua Group Ltd., following a toxic chemical spill into the River Suir at Holycross, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
Image Courtesy Inland Fisheries Ireland
Glanua Group Ltd were found to have caused harmful matter to flow into the River Suir at Holycross, and were directed to pay fines plus expenses of €5,561.
The firm operates the Thurles Water Treatment Plant on behalf of Uisce Éireann, from a facility that was built within the last five years. The River Suir was found to have approximately 400m of a yellowish cream deposit, understood to be Aluminium sulphate on the river bed. Aluminium sulfate is used in water purification and for chemical phosphorus removal from wastewater. It causes suspended impurities to coagulate into larger particles and then settle to the bottom of a container. This chemical has the potential to be very toxic for fish and invertebrates if released into the river, depending on the levels of the river water.
Thurles District Court heard that the pollution involved a significant discharge that had been going on over a period of time.
Inland Fisheries Ireland are urging people to report water pollution, illegal fishing, habitat destruction, fish kills or issues of concern in their local rivers/lakes to its confidential 24/7, Tel No – 0818 34 74 24.
This successful prosecution is, at last, part of Inland Fisheries Ireland’s determined efforts to protect the State’s rivers, streams, and lakes.
An Bord Pleanála has confirmed that proposed plans to establish a €650m hydroelectric pumped storage power project, to be located at the former mine site at Silvermines, Co. Tipperary, has been now been deemed developed enough to enter the permit granting process for ‘Projects of Common Interest’, latter an essential infrastructure project regarded as aimed to strengthen European energy markets, thus assisting EU energy and climate goals.
The appeals board will now evaluate the project under an EU procedure which aims to streamline the consenting process for trans-European energy projects.
This Silvermines Hydroelectric Energy Storage Project, when eventually operational, is expected to store as much as 296 Megawatts (MW), with a daily storage capacity of up to 2,175MWh of electricity, same sufficient to power 185,000 households or 21,000 small businesses daily in Ireland.
Not a new idea, but like the existing ESB Turlough Hill (292 MW) Power Plant in Co. Wicklow, first commenced in 1968, this project will see water pumped from one source, starting at ground level and delivered to a reservoir higher up, which in turn will then be released through turbines that in turn generate electricity.
The 148-hectare (366 acre) site, chosen for the project, in Co. Tipperary is situated on the Northern ridge of the Silvermines Mountain range and was first proposed initially some 9 years ago. The project, when first made public in January of 2016, suggested that wind energy, from awind farm on the site would be deployed at night time, during periods of less demand, to pump the water from the downhill lake to the uphill storage area.
This Silvermines Hydro project is being developed and managed by Siga-Hydro Limited, an Irish company based in Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, working with the Foresight Group, a global infrastructure investor.
Accounts for a connected firm, Silvermines Tipp Hold Co Ltd, shows that it received a capital injection of €14.5m in 2023. It is estimated that the project will create some 400 jobs during its construction phase and employ as many as 50 qualified personnel in the pumping hydro station, during its operational phase.
Following the announced permit granting procedure, An Bord Pleanála will now make a final decision on the project.
Congratulations to the winner of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Award entitled ‘Vision Zero’, represented by Christina Whelan, Tara Johnson and Caitlin Cussen pupils of the Ursuline Secondary School, here in Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
Ten teams represented Ireland at the Junk Kouture World Final held in Dublin last evening, together with 50 other finalists from the UK, US, Italy, France and the UAE.
Pictured Above: Teachers Mr Michael English & Ms Erica Flanagan with Award Winners Ms Christina Whelan, Ms Tara Johnson & Ms Caitlin Cussen.
Junk Kouture was founded in Ireland in 2010 by entrepreneur Troy Armour from County Donegal, with a simple yet powerful mission – to enrich and empower the lives of young people through creativity and sustainability. Since the beginning, students have been challenged to create wearable designs from recycled materials, celebrating creative and innovative talent, while driving behavioural change toward sustainability, creating the change makers of tomorrow, and ensuring inclusivity and diversity which is at the cornerstone of everything undertaken.
Delayed Planting Of 2,500 Tree In Thurles Now Scheduled For Friday March 21st.
The 100 Million Tree’s Initiative is to plant a 2,500 tree urban forest at Mill Road, south-east of Thurles Town, is now set to take place on Friday March 21st next, at 10:30am.
The planting is set to be undertaken on a strip of land purchased by taxpayers and currently in the care of Tipperary Co. Council, on land on the west side of the Mill Road in the townland of Monakeeba.
See Area Map hereunder. [Eircode E41 NP02].
The event was due to take place initially on Monday January 27th, 2025, however same was cancelled due to weather and ground conditions; the area being part of the flood plain of the River Suir.
100 Million Trees Project:
The 100 Million Trees Project is a national Not-for-Profit initiative being run by siblings, Richard, David and Tina Mulcahy.
The project aims to see the planting of 100 million native Irish trees across the island of Ireland over the next decade, as a community-driven initiative to reverse the immense environmental damage caused by the reduction of forests worldwide and the loss of huge areas of biodiversity.
The project’s ambitious aim will be achieved through densely planting between 500 and 2,500 native Irish trees at a time across small areas of land using ‘The Miyawaki method’. Named after the late Japanese Botanist, Professor Akira Miyawaki (1928-2021), who developed the technique in the 1970s as a means to restore degraded land, the Miyawaki Method of over-planting trees, has been successful in creating over 1,700 forests worldwide.
Thurles public are invited to attend, with schools; local residents associations and Refresh Thurles (Tidy Towns) being invited to volunteer to aid with the planting; with sponsor Allied Irish Bank (AIB) in attendance to record the event for their website.
By planting excess trees together, same grow 10 times faster; 30 times denser; create an area 100 times more biodiverse, and most importantly create a very rapid carbon sink. This inexpensive approach requires significantly smaller planting areas and can be carried out on unused or fallow land across Ireland. Dense areas of afforestation can also actually play a role in reducing the impact of forest fires, while at the same time provide excellent areas of biodiversity.
In 2022-2023 – 20,600 Irish native trees were planted in 6 counties on the island of Ireland. In 2023-2024 – a further 201,750 Irish native trees were planted in 19 counties. In 2024-2025 the target is to plant a further 550,000 trees in 28 counties.
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