A wake-up call on fracking dangers

THERE is much controversy and disquiet concerning the planned hydraulic fracturing gas extraction (fracking) in the North West and parts of Kerry, Cork, Limerick and Clare.

Much is being made of the promise of some jobs and investment. I think we need to consider the bigger picture here. The two largest industries in Ireland, which together employ over 300,000 people, are agriculture (output over €5bn every year) and tourism (foreign exchange earnings over €4.5bn every year).

These are both very sustainable industries, which can go on indefinitely if we look after them. And these industries are unlikely to be suddenly re-located elsewhere.

And now think of Spanish cucumbers. It took just a rumour of contamination to devastate that industry’s exports. If anyone thinks the impending fracking in Fermanagh, to be followed in other counties, will go un-noticed by consumers in France (where they’ve banned fracking after a national debate) and other countries we export to, I think they are in need of a wake-up. Agricultural exports could collapse very shortly after word gets out about what’s being planned in our countryside.

We need a national debate on this issue before we are led into something that assuredly will have very serious consequences for this country.

To allow this debate, and time for visits to places where fracking has already taken place, we need at a minimum a five-year moratorium on all activity.

A state senator from New York, Greg Ball, has said: “I can tell you right now that from the pain I’ve experienced first-hand speaking with families and farmers in Pennsylvania, it will be over my dead body before I allow what happened in Pennsylvania to happen here in New York.” Just think about that.

Terry MacDermott

Aghacashel

Co Leitrim