Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore has described a \u20ac3,500 fine handed down to Uisce \u00c9ireann following a sewage discharge into a Cavan river more than two years ago as little more than a slap of the wrist.<\/p>\n
Deputy Whitmore, who is the party\u2019s environment spokesperson, said:<\/p>\n
\u201cUisce \u00c9ireann received a paltry \u20ac3,500 fine this month after it was found responsible for a wastewater pumping station discharge into a trout spawning and nursery habitat near Cavan town in July 2023.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccording to Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), this pollution incident caused sewage fungus to cover a 2km stretch of the riverbed, resulting in the death of 150 brown trout, ranging in size from juvenile to adult.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile I welcome the conviction, I do not believe that the fine handed down is commensurate with the offence. State agencies cannot be allowed to treat our rivers like drains and simply receive a slap on the wrist.<\/p>\n
\u201cPenalties for causing major ecological damage are set far too low to act as a meaningful deterrent and must be urgently reviewed.<\/p>\n
\u201cBroader lessons must also be learned in the wake of the recent Blackwater pollution incident, which resulted in the death of more than 40,000 fish. As soon as a problem is identified, we need a rapid response team deployed, with the knowledge and ability to take samples and make any necessary follow-up enquiries.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen it comes to river pollution, urgency is key as delays can result in evidence being flushed away, allowing those responsible for discharges to cover their tracks. Agencies need to work together so there is a coordinated action plan when such incidents occur.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need a complete overhaul of how pollution is dealt with. We will only see proper enforcement when fines are increased to a level where they serve as an effective deterrent to would-be polluters \u2013 including State bodies like Uisce \u00c9ireann.\u201d<\/p>\n
October 22, 2025<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore has described a \u20ac3,500 fine handed down to Uisce \u00c9ireann following a sewage discharge into a Cavan river more than two years ago as little more than a slap of the wrist. Deputy Whitmore, who is the party\u2019s environment spokesperson, said: \u201cUisce \u00c9ireann received a paltry \u20ac3,500 fine this month […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11226,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[727,268,777,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14105","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-environment","category-jennifer-whitmore","category-pollution","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n