Kerry farmers urged to join scheme and protect water supply

FARMERS living close to the lake which provides most of Kerry’s drinking water are to be urged to join a scheme to protect it from contamination.

Kerry County Council plans to invite three farmers living close to Lough Guitane to join the Rural Environmental Protection Scheme, which encourages environmentally friendly agricultural practices.

The move is planned to ensure the lake, near Killarney, is protected from any source of contamination.

Under regulations introduced a year ago, the council can increase the buffer zone which limits farming activities and bans land spreading in the vicinity of drinking water sources.

South Kerry Independent Alliance councillor Michael Gleeson said the well-being of Lough Guitane was of “central importance” to the county.

“Anything that would impact adversely on it would be a disaster for Kerry,” he remarked.

Mr Gleeson proposed that the council and Department of the Environment compensate landowners affected by the introduction of a buffer zone around Lough Guitane.

He also asked that three farmers in the vicinity of the lake, who were not in the scheme, be encouraged to join. Mr Gleeson pointed out that when land was required for roads, landowners were compensated.

However, he said water was a much more important commodity and landowners affected by the buffer zone should receive compensation.

Fine Gael councillor John O’Connor said many people felt there was not enough protection for the water source at Lough Guitane.

He called for an in-depth study to establish if any activities in the area, agricultural or otherwise, were having an adverse impact on the lake.

“In the past, the farming community has been blamed when pollution occurred and, many times, this was not correct,” Mr O’Connor said.

“In Galway, it has been confirmed that the source of contamination of the water supply was coming from human waste.”

Independent councillor Brendan Cronin called for a review of the Lough Guitane buffer zone with a view to expanding it to further protect the water source.

“The implementation of the Nitrates Directive and the farm waste management scheme, together with [the scheme] , has made a tremendous improvement in the management of waste by farmers. Also, adequate storage facilities are crucially important,” he said.