Third farmer jailed in North over dumping of southern waste on land
Philip Johnston from Killadeas, Enniskillen, permitted 1,900 tonnes of municipal rubbish, including surgical gloves, incontinence pads and metal to be deposited on his land.
The illegal dump was detected by the North’s Environment and Heritage Service after it visited the site on foot of allegations that rubbish was being burnt on the farm.
Fermanagh court was told that upon analysis it was found that the waste had come from Dublin, Wexford and Cork.
The service calculated that if the waste had been dumped legally in the Republic it would have cost €420,000.
If it had been dumped legally in the North it would have cost £88,000 (€117,792).
That difference and the high price of waste disposal in the Republic are the main reasons rubbish is being smuggled into the North from here.
The judge in the case Austin Kennedy said the defendant had made a deal with a person from the Republic for “a substantial payment”.
He sentenced him to four months on the charges of having the illegal dump and with keeping or disposing of controlled waste in a manner likely to cause pollution to the environment or harm to human health.
Judge Kennedy also imposed fines totalling €10,000.
Last year it was claimed by the service that there was waste from the Republic dumped in 60 sites across the six counties, mainly in the border areas.
The Environmental Protection Agency here said it is dealing with approximately 20 illegal sites in Northern Ireland containing waste originating here.
It said it was taking a number of steps including stepping up on-the-spot inspections of vehicles to curb the problem and find the sources of the waste being transported.
Two farmers in the North have already been prosecuted for allowing their land to be used as dumps.
Samuel Wilson McIlroy of Crumlin was jailed for six months for allowing an estimated 5,000 tonnes of biodegradable household waste to be dumped on a site he owned.
David Edwin Allingham was given nine months imprisonment for accepting 4,500 tonnes of biodegradable type waste to be dumped on a farm outside Garrison, Co Fermanagh.
