Massive fish kill.

malinheader

The Glennagannon River in Donegal as been subject to the killing of over 2500 mostly juvenile salmon smoults,brown and white trout also. Totally devastating the River.

Investigations are on going into the source of the pollution they said.

Time to get serious about the penalties against the people who cause these destruction of rivers. Slap on the wrist isn't working.

sniperman

jail

Girl Geraldine

Can;t be given jail realistically. Even if it could be proven who was responsibel, you'd have to prove intent, and even then it would presumably be their first conviction so they would not get jail. Even then, you could not jail a farmer because they have animals to mind and farm to run and family to provide for.

malinheader

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119542656#Comment_119542656

So what you're saying is farmers have a get out of jail card if they do pollute a river.

Girl Geraldine

To be honest, that's the reality of it.

malinheader

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119542891#Comment_119542891

True. Not saying for sure yet it was a farmer, could be industrial. But as you said the reality is nothing will be done about this and it will happen time and time again.

Mellor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119542656#Comment_119542656

If farmers get away with it its not because they have animals and families, compete nonsense.

Having a farm to run and a family to provide for is completely irrelevant in terms of where somebody deserves to go to jail. No different to somebody having a job in an office, and a family and pets.

Girl Geraldine

In theory yes. But in reality, if it did come to a situation where a court was sentencing, then the defencing barrister/solicitor will asking the judge to consider the mitigating factors in the case, and appealing them to suspend the sentence because a custodial sentence would have a disproportionate effect on the accused's family life and their livelihood, and they would effectively have to wind up their farming enterprise and sell off their herd etc in order to be committed to prison.

And judges, being notoriously lenient, and prisons being overcrowed, would more than likely grant the request, unless there was some seriously aggravating circumstances such as repeated intentional occurences after warnings, or violence, or threats against authorities.

malinheader

Just an update , I was contacted by inland fisheries after my e mail about the fish kill and they have found the source of the pollution and are proceeding with a case for prosecution. No name could be given out because of the case pending but I was assured if the prosecution is successful which he says is nearly a certainty the name of the polluter will be published.