LOCAL AUTHORITIES have been warned not to scapegoat farmers because others dump waste on their lands following a threat from Kilkenny County Council to fine a farmer €130,000.
The Irish Farmers’ Association published a letter by the council to the farmer in Kilkenny when rubbish dumped by the public was discovered in his ditches and fields.
The letter advised Percy Drea of Paulstown that the public had complained of rubbish on his land, and said he was responsible under section 9 of the Litter Pollution Acts.
It said under section 6 (2) of the Acts it was an offence not to keep land visible from a public place free of litter, and said this applied no matter how the waste arose.
The council’s letter said on conviction the farmer could face a penalty of €130,000 and daily fines for failing to deal with the matter after that.
It also said he could make a submission to the council and it would prefer to work with him to remedy the situation. However, failure to comply could lead to stiff fines.
Deputy leader of the IFA Eddie Downey delivered a warning to the local authority about its “heavy-handed approach towards farmers” on the public’s littering, and has demanded that letters targeting landowners for other people’s rubbish be withdrawn immediately.
“Farmers are very annoyed that they are being scapegoated. Litter creates an unsightly mess and can cause injury to livestock,” said Mr Downey.
“This is an attempt by Kilkenny County Council to abdicate its own responsibility for keeping the countryside clean and stopping the proliferation of littering by unthinking members of the public.”
He said the IFA had run a number of campaigns highlighting the problem of litter in the countryside and would continue to do so.
“While we will continue to play our part, farmers cannot be held liable, and it is the responsibility of local authorities to keep the countryside free of litter.”
He said local authorities would be better served using resources to track down those guilty of the littering and impose fines on them.
“Landowners who received this letter are flabbergasted. They have been plagued by persistent littering along the roadside and into their fields.”
He called on the local authority to immediately remove the threat of fines and a prosecution, and he urged Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan to review the legislation and direct local authorities to concentrate their efforts on cleaning up the countryside.