Piggeries And Pollution

Sir, - On page 2 of your issue of October 26th a headline proclaimed that the Environmental Protection Agency was to enlist Cork…

Sir, - On page 2 of your issue of October 26th a headline proclaimed that the Environmental Protection Agency was to enlist Cork schoolchildren to protect the environment. The report made very encouraging reading - until we turned to page 5 where it was reported that the same EPA proposed issuing a licence to a 500-sow piggery near Kiltimagh, Co Mayo, that has had its planning permission application refused on two occasions by the relevant planning authority. Two regional fishery boards as well as the Central Fisheries Board are justifiably alarmed at the threat to the catchment areas affecting loughs Conn, Carra and Corrib and the river Moy. Does anyone remember Lough Sheelin?

Perhaps the EPA would consider sending the pupils from the six Cork schools up west on their first research exercise. Do we really need the pig population increasing by a million within the next five years? - Yours, etc., Tom Henley,

Kilcoolishal, Glanmire, Co Cork.