Dairygold fined €12k over fish kill

Dairygold in East Cork was fined €12,000 and ordered to pay legal costs after it killed 20,000 fish by accidentally letting 150 litres of toxic insecticide run into a river.

At Midleton District Court, Judge Brian Sheridan described the fish kill as “an oversight of catastrophic effect” and said he wondered “if the penalties match the offence, but that is not a matter for me”.

The fish kill took place as grain was being transferred from one Dairygold Agribusiness silo to another at the Mogeely site on Aug 11 last. As it was transferred, the grain was sprayed with insecticide.