Silage effluent overflowing from a farm in Northern Ireland has led to a £1,000 fine for its owner after inspectors traced a 2.7km pollution trail.
Michael Donnelly, 45, of Cookstown, Co Tyrone, admitted the offence at Dungannon Magistrates’ Court on Monday (8 September).
The case related to an incident in November 2024 when inspectors from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) investigated reports of pollution in the Curran Drain, a tributary of Lough Neagh.
They found the riverbed coated with grey sewage fungus, an agricultural odour and large numbers of bloodworms – a sign of poor water quality.
The inspectors traced the source of the contamination upstream for about 2.7km.
Upstream of Mr Donnelly’s farm the water was clean, but downstream it was described as "grossly" polluted.
At the farm, silage clamps and effluent storage facilities were examined. A significant volume of maize silage effluent was found flowing into a collection chamber and the storage tank was full and overflowing.
A sample taken from the site confirmed the presence of polluting matter that could harm aquatic life.
On Monday, Mr Donnelly was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay a £15 offenders’ levy under Article 7(1)(a) of the Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999.
