A landowner has been fined £3,400 at Newry Magistrates’ court, County Armagh for breaches of Environment Order legislation.
Derek Johnston of 82D Carrickastricken Road, Forkhill was fined for damaging a protected habitat.
On five occasions between 5 October 2012 and 15 July 2014, Northern Ireland Environment Agency officers investigated a site owned by Mr Johnston within Slieve Gullion Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) and Slieve Gullion Special Area of Conservation (SAC).
On each occasion unauthorised works were observed which resulted in substantial damage to protected habitat.
Burning, spraying and mechanical removal of vegetation caused the destruction of 12.5 hectares of priority Dry Heath habitat on land owned by Mr Johnston.
Jail sentence for Armagh man
Earlier in the month, another man from Co Armagh was convicted at Craigavon Magistrates’ Court on 21 charges.
These included: one charge of removing ear tags from bovine animals; one charge of failing to present a herd register; two charges of failure to notify the Department of the movement of two animals onto his holding; 14 charges of knowingly or recklessly providing false information on movement notifications to the Department; and three charges of failing to have three animals TSE tested within 24 hours of death.
Mr Thompson pleaded guilty to all charges and received three months jail, suspended for three years, for each charge to run concurrently.
