Farmer brings stunted cattle case to Europe

A Co Kilkenny farmer is bringing a 15-year battle against mystery pollution on his farm to a Brussels parliamentary committee.

The contamination has stunted the growth of dozens of livestock and withered trees on the land of Dan Brennan in Castlecomer.

The father-of-four and his two vets will present a dossier of evidence on the issue to the European Parliament’s Petitions Committee on January 30.

The problems began in the early 1990s when livestock failed to thrive and hazel, ash and holly trees died on a small part of Mr Brennan’s 170-acre farm.

Mr Brennan, 38 said he is completely dissatisfied with the lack of co-operation by the Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency on the matter.

“I just want answers as to what is causing these problems. It began in the early 1990s and was at its worst in the late 1990s.”

The problems are concentrated in a 50-acre area of the dairy and beef farm where cattle sheds are located.

“Things are worse in winter when cattle are indoors and they lose weight and are too weak to get up,” Mr Brennan said.

Experts from farm research agency Teagasc and the national veterinary college in Dublin have all been involved in studying the causes of the pollution.

Mr Brennan is being supported in his case by the Green Party and its deputy leader and local councillor Mary White is due to testify to the Petitions Committee on the difficulties encountered by Mr Brennan.

She said today: “Anyone who has visited the farm will be shocked at the small size and state of the cattle. It is obvious that there is a serious problem affecting the farm which has been attributed to non-farming practices and which also affects the trees on the farm.

“Putting these findings before the Brussels Committee will be an opportunity for outside experts to hear about this case and to initiate a strategy to solve the problem – something which the Department of Agriculture has been unable to do.

“The Department started an investigation into the farm this month, and has assigned two Government vets to the case.

“I believe that the Brussels initiative will bring to the case a wider pool of expertise and my sole wish is that the source of the problem is discovered, isolated and solved so this family can get on with its life and continue to farm without the ongoing worry of ill thrift and stunted growth of their cattle.”