Pig farmer jailed over leaks in slurry pits

A farmer was jailed yesterday after a judge labelled him “an absolute disgrace” for failing to prevent an environmental timebomb from threatening lakes in the Midlands.

Donal Connaughton, aged 55, acted “in a blackguardly fashion” and expected the authorities to clean up the environmental nightmare he had created at his pig farm in Co Longford, Judge Seamus Hughes said.

Connaughton, of Elfleet, Newtowncashel, was convicted at Longford District Court of causing or permitting effluent to fall from massive tanks containing 4m gallons of slurry into a local lake last March.

The prosecution was taken by Inland Fisheries Ireland. Connaughton was jailed for 10 weeks and fined €3,000, with €5,400 costs.

Up to 25 tanks — located above and below ground — are located at the pig farm, which covers 8,000sq m. Many of the tanks were unauthorised structures and Connaughton had exacerbated the situation by only removing the roofs in response to a demolition order previously granted to Longford County Council, the court heard. This caused the slurry and soiled water to overflow from the yard into local water courses.

The court was told that, despite the best efforts of a taskforce led by Longford County Council and including the Departments of the Environment and Agriculture, the IFA, and the Environmental Protection Agency, the discharge was still flowing from the farm.

Senior council engineer Tom Murtagh said that up to 10 people were now working at the site and, to date, a 250,000 gallons (nearly 950,000 litres) of matter had been removed from the tanks. Funding for the cost of work to date of €50,000 had been provided by the Department of the Environment.

However, the department had provided the funding on the basis of the principle that the polluter paid, Mr Murtagh told Judge Hughes. The expenditure would have to be recouped, he said.

Defence solicitor Mark Connellan said Connaughton had acknowledged that he had caused the pollution at his farm, but it was “beyond his control” as he was no longer in business there.

He had no resources, he was living on social welfare, and there was a first and second charges on the property.

Connaughton said he had spoken to up to 20 farmers about the possibility of taking the slurry, but none of them wanted to get involved because of the ongoing case.

“I can do nothing,” said Connaughton.

Judge Hughes said Connaughton had put the authorities in the invidious position of having to take responsibility for a problem he had created.

“This is the worst case I have come across in terms of public mean-spiritedness,” said Judge Hughes. “There is a meanness in Mr Connaughton and words can’t describe his attitude to people who have to manage the environment.

“He has created a monster that he’s now walking away from. I detect a satisfaction in him over this. He’ll take no responsibility — you’re an absolute disgrace.”