NORTHERN IRELAND-BY PRODUCTS GO DOWN RIVER.
A rendering plant in Northern Ireland has been fined £24,000 after a river was badly polluted.
Ulster Farm By-Products of County Antrim admitted breaches of pollution regulations during a hearing before magistrates in Antrim.
The court heard that waste discharged into the Glenavy River had sufficiently high levels of chemicals that fish and wildlife could have been harmed.
In mitigation for the company it was said that a proposal was now being considered to build a biomass plant.
Gary Millar, operations director at the firm added: "We are in the process of investing in the extension and upgrade of our effluent treatment plant".
After the case a spokesperson for the Department of the Environment commented: "The company pleaded guilty to the offences which all involved exceeding the limit for ammoniacal nitrogen in the effluent being discharged to the river."
