More than 50 vehicles, including several tractors, took part in a cavalcade of protest in Ennis, Co Clare, at the weekend against plans by Syntex Ireland to install an incinerator at its plant in nearby Clarecastle, writes Frank McDonald Environment Correspondent.
Carrying black and white balloons and banners with slogans such as "Dioxins can damage your health", the cavalcade made its way from Clarecastle to Ennis in an effort to drum up more public support for the anti incinerator campaign.
The locally based Care for Clare group was heartened by: the turnout in spite of "atrocious" weather on Saturday, saying it underlined the fears shared by residents and farmers about the incinerator's potential impact.
"There is real fear in this area about the health risks," Ms Lena Quinn, spokeswoman for the protest group, said.
Syntex emphatically denies that the proposed incinerator would threaten public health by emitting dioxins. But Care for Clare remains unconvinced and has appealed to the Environmental Protection Agency not to grant a licence.
Instead, it wants the company to choose a "closed circuit" waste management system for chlorinated solvents which would not endanger the environment.