North Cork Creameries adamant it is not to blame for Cork's  Blackwater fish kill

The River Blackwater in Mallow, Co Cork. Picture Dan Linehan

The North Cork Creameries has stated it is "not the cause of the Blackwater fish kill" after a report arose from tests on waste water.

The report, ran from tests on waste water from a discharge point following a large fish kill in the Blackwater river says the company failed to inform the agency that discharges were non-compliant and “may have caused environmental pollution”.

Angling clubs estimate that up to 50,000 fish could have been killed in the Blackwater in recent weeks.

However, the North Cork Creameries issued a statement this Saturday, "adamantly and firmly" saying that it is "not connected with the recent fish kill that took place on 12th August in the River Blackwater in the area of Lombardstown, Mallow, Co. Cork."

The statement read: "There is nothing at any level of concentration or content in the wastewater effluent outflow from North Cork Creameries that could possibly have caused the appalling levels of injury and death to fish that took place near Lombardstown - which is a full 10km away from our facility.

"The fish kill is a deeply serious and distressing event for the entire community. But it is an equally serious issue, and essential, to ensure accountability that is based on evidence, not assumption. Unfounded claims, speculation, or selective use of information risk misleading the public and unfairly damaging reputation."

This comes as a site inspection was conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency on August 12, the results of which have now been published on the website of Inland Fisheries Ireland.

The report said: “The Agency carried out this site visit to investigate reports of a fish kill incident downriver on the Blackwater River.” The results showed that found that ammonia levels in the discharge in the waste water were 52 times over the permitted limit for the company’s discharge licence, while the levels of orthophosphate was seven times over the limit. Total phosphorus levels were two and a half times above the licenced amount, according to the findings of the report.

The report outlined: “The licensee (North Cork Creameries) indicated that, following concerns around the observable quality (visual, odour, etc.) of treated effluent being discharged via SW-1 at 08:30, sampling was carried out by the licensee at approximately 09:00. This sampling indicated that the treated effluent was out of specification and that water leaving the plant via SW-1 was likely to be non-compliant. The licensee ceased discharges from the WWTP at 10:00am. Based on this information, the licensee had reason to believe that discharges from SW-1 up to 10:00 were non-complaint and may have caused environmental pollution. The Agency was not notified of this incident.” The report stated that samples taken by EPA staff showed that discharges from the site from midnight to 10am on August 12 “were indeed non-compliant with the emission limit values” for the discharge point.

A report from the Marine Institute has also been published by the IFI on its website, following tests conducted on 10 dying brown trout taken from the river, “in response to reports of a high number of fish mortalities over the preceding week along a 30 km stretch of the Munster Blackwater”.

Histopathology results on four of them noted damage to eyes and gills, with the report noting: “Gill pathology is consistent with and suggests possible exposure to some form of environmental insult or water borne irritant, is widespread and largely chronic, pathology is considered functionally significant. No evidence of systemic disease was observed in other organs sampled in these fish.” A statement issued on behalf of the Minister with responsibility for fisheries, Timmy Dooley, on Saturday noted the reports from the EPA and the Marine Institute.

The statement said that the IFI, Cork County Council, the EPA, the Marine Institute and Uisce Eireann will meet early next week as they work together to “progress and advance the ongoing investigation”.

A response has been sought from North Cork Creameries.