Dawn Meats plan to discharge water into Boyne denied on appeal
An Bord Pleanála has overturned a decision by Meath County Council to allow Dawn Meats to discharge treated wastewater into the River Boyne.
In 2021, Dawn Meats sought planning permission from Meath County Council to construct a 7.2km pipeline from its Slane beef abattoir plant in Navan, to discharge treated wastewater into the River Boyne.
Hundreds of submissions were made to the local authority voicing strong opposition to the plans.
Dawn Meats said third-party studies, including a Natura Impact Statement, have assessed “no negative impact on the river or surrounding habitats”, and that water will be treated to a “much higher standard than currently possible”.
In April 2022, Meath County Council granted permission for the proposal, subject to 11 conditions. This decision was then appealed to An Bord Pleanála by several parties.
The Save the Boyne (STB) group, which campaigned against the proposal, has welcomed the decision of An Bord Pleanála.
"This has been a long awaited decision for all those involved in this campaign," it said.
The group said that the application was "rejected mainly on the grounds of protecting perhaps the greatest resource our planet has to offer, water".
An Bord Pleanála has yet to publish its full decision on its website.
"The Boyne has significant meaning to all its people who share its shores and waterways from the canoeist, the angler, the photographer and those who stroll its environs.
"It has a shared history and meaning to each person and all collectively.
"We would like to take this opportunity to thank all for taking a stand on such an important issue. It gives great hope going forward that when people stand together they can prevail," the group said.
"Also the biggest winner in all of this is the Boyne itself, while we take this win we also understand that the River Boyne along with many other waterways in Ireland are under huge stress due to poor planning, poor water treatment plants and general pollutants into our rivers and streams," it added.
In a statement, Dawn Meats said that the company will now examine the decision from the planning appeals board.
"Dawn Meats is aware that a decision has been made by An Bord Pleanála in relation to the May 2022 appeal against the planning approval for a treated wastewater pipeline in Slane, Co. Meath.
"The company will review the decision and will consider its options in due course," it said.
