BY DAVID FORSYTHE
FARMERS across West Cork are afraid to clean rivers on their land of debris in case they face hefty environmental fines, which is leading to local flooding.
The issue was raised by Beara-based independent councillor Finbarr Harrington at a recent meeting of Cork County Council’s Western Division committee.
‘Farmers are afraid to clean rivers on their land because they are being fined by Inland Fisheries Ireland. They are facing massive fines in some cases. I think we really need to have a meeting with Inland Fisheries Ireland because many people just don’t know what the rules are,’ he said. Cllr Patrick Gerard Murphy (FF) said that it was a serious issue.
‘In fairness it’s very confusing and farmers are afraid because they don’t know the rules. I’m not clear about it myself. We need some sort of advisory document for people so it’s clear what we are talking about,’ he said.
Cllr John Michael Foley (FG) said: ‘Fear is a real thing for farmers around this. When I was a young fella we would clear out the rivers every couple of years and that was it and we didn’t need to worry about it, but that’s not the case now. Bringing somebody from Inland Fisheries Ireland to a development committee meeting would be a good idea.’
