A KILKENNY farmer who claims that pollution is poisoning cattle and vegetation on his land has been invited to return to Brussels next week to appear before the Petitions Committee of the European Parliament on Wednesday next.
Dan Brennan, who farms 170 acres near the north Co Kilkenny town of Castlecomer, claims that his dairy herd has suffered from stunted growth, low milk yields and high calf mortality over suspected cadmium discharges. After years of extensive investigations by State agencies costing an estimated €500,000, a new report by veterinary experts for the Department of Agriculture failed to establish the cause.
In 2007, he successfully petitioned the European Parliament to investigate the matter. A delegation of MEPs visited the farm and concluded that the cattle had been affected by “toxic emissions from the local brick factory”.
Mairéad McGuinness, MEP for Ireland East and a member of the committee, said he “will be accompanied by his veterinary and scientific experts” who will “present their analysis of the latest report prepared for the department.
Mr Brennan says he intends to sue Ormonde Brick Ltd, a subsidiary of CRH.
A spokeswoman said the company was “declining to comment on the commencement of legal proceedings” but reiterated a previous statement that there was “no evidence to link the Ormonde Brick factory with the specific problems that have been investigated on the farm.” She added that CRH had given assistance to the investigations and said cadmium was “not a significant emission in the clay brick industry”.