I
Ian Cloke
Guest
A Carmarthenshire farmer who caused slurry to enter a local brook, killing thousands of fish was fined ?800 at Carmarthen Magistrates' yesterday.
Alan Owen of Canerw Farm, Login, Whitland was also ordered to pay ?700 in costs to Environment Agency Wales who brought the prosecution..
Owens pleaded guilty on two counts: 1) Causing slurry effluent to enter controlled waters - Section 85(1) Water Resources Act 1991. Fined ?500.
(2) Causing liquid or solid matter to enter controlled waters to the extent to cause those waters to be poisonous or injurious to fish or the food of fish - Section 4 Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975. Fined ?300.
The Court heard that on 3 March 2006 Agency Environment Officers received a report that slurry from Canerw Farm had spilled from their store and entered the Login Brook.
Subsequent investigations established that a valve on the slurry store had somehow become loose in the night, leading to the escape of approximately 10,000 gallons of slurry, most of which entered the brook. Approximately 3.5 km of watercourse was affected, killing fish and macro-invertebrates.
Following an assessment of the river by ecologists and using historical data, it was calculated that approximately 2,645 fish were killed, including parr and fry.
Although the effects of the incident were extensive, they were minimised by the actions of Mr Owen and his wife.
The agency comment that to their credit, they reported the incident to the Agency and took steps to prevent slurry entering the stream by constructing a dam.
They built a bund, a temporary earth bank, at the top of the riverbank, to prevent further slurry entering the brook. This held the slurry in the yard for a number of hours until contractors arrived to clear it.
Following the case Emma Killian, an Agency Environment Officer said: "Farm effluent is extremely polluting to our rivers and can cause significant and extensive damage. This incident should act as a reminder to farmers and contractors, to ensure that all machinery and equipment is regularly checked and well maintained."
Alan Owen of Canerw Farm, Login, Whitland was also ordered to pay ?700 in costs to Environment Agency Wales who brought the prosecution..
Owens pleaded guilty on two counts: 1) Causing slurry effluent to enter controlled waters - Section 85(1) Water Resources Act 1991. Fined ?500.
(2) Causing liquid or solid matter to enter controlled waters to the extent to cause those waters to be poisonous or injurious to fish or the food of fish - Section 4 Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975. Fined ?300.
The Court heard that on 3 March 2006 Agency Environment Officers received a report that slurry from Canerw Farm had spilled from their store and entered the Login Brook.
Subsequent investigations established that a valve on the slurry store had somehow become loose in the night, leading to the escape of approximately 10,000 gallons of slurry, most of which entered the brook. Approximately 3.5 km of watercourse was affected, killing fish and macro-invertebrates.
Following an assessment of the river by ecologists and using historical data, it was calculated that approximately 2,645 fish were killed, including parr and fry.
Although the effects of the incident were extensive, they were minimised by the actions of Mr Owen and his wife.
The agency comment that to their credit, they reported the incident to the Agency and took steps to prevent slurry entering the stream by constructing a dam.
They built a bund, a temporary earth bank, at the top of the riverbank, to prevent further slurry entering the brook. This held the slurry in the yard for a number of hours until contractors arrived to clear it.
Following the case Emma Killian, an Agency Environment Officer said: "Farm effluent is extremely polluting to our rivers and can cause significant and extensive damage. This incident should act as a reminder to farmers and contractors, to ensure that all machinery and equipment is regularly checked and well maintained."