The Tipperary Cheese Company Limited has been ordered to pay fines and costs by a court following a conviction for slurry production of a Co. Tipperary river.
Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) secured the conviction against the dairy production company for slurry pollution at at Leigh, Two Mile Borris, on the Clover River system, a tributary of the River Suir, in Co. Tipperary.
The pollution incident took place in December 2023.
During a court case, which was heard at Thurles District Court on February 18, 2025, IFI 's fisheries environmental officer, Oliver McGrath, outlined various facts in relation to the pollution incident.
According to the IFI the court heard the evidence for the defence "did not match up with photographs which showed deep slurry in the water, not just a spillage, and the issue had been ongoing for a considerable time before action was taken".
It was also noted by IFI "that the pollution constituted a very serious breach on the part of The Tipperary Cheese Company Ltd".
Lynda Connor, south-eastern regional director at IFI, added: “The Clover River was found to be in a poor condition, with polluting material discharging into this river from a drain full of slurry.
“Ensuring clean and healthy water is not just a responsibility, but a necessity for the survival of fish and the ecosystems they thrive in".
Connor also said the "successful prosecution is part of Inland Fisheries Ireland’s very determined efforts to protect the state’s rivers, streams, and lakes.”
The Tipperary Cheese Company Limited was ordered at Thurles District Court to pay €2,500 in fines and €4,940 in legal costs and expenses.IFI is encouraging everyone to report water pollution, illegal fishing activity, habitat destruction, fish kills, or issues of concern in their local rivers or lakes to its confidential number 0818 34 74 24.