Farmers are being urged to "continue to be vigilant" and play their part in protecting waterways from the threat of agricultural water pollution.

Making the calls, Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) highlighted the potential damage that silage effluent can cause to aquatic life in local rivers.

The call comes following the conviction of a farm which permitted agricultural effluent to enter the Suileen River, a tributary of the Clare River in Co. Galway.

In a statement, IFI said:

"Silage effluent is a highly toxic substance when it gets into rivers, starving the fish and invertebrate life of oxygen. When rivers are low in summertime, even a small leak can cause huge damage.

"Maintenance of silage pits and slurry storage facilities is essential to ensure that leaks or overflows are not permitted," the authority says.

To prevent waters from being polluted by nitrogen and phosphorus when land-spreading, Inland Fisheries Ireland is advising farmers to refer to Good Agricultural Practice Regulations 2017, which advises to:

Commenting, Patrick Gorman, Galway director in the Western River Basin District at Inland Fisheries Ireland said:

“Having good water quality in our lakes and rivers is vital for healthy fish stocks and their habitats.

"Silage effluent is a major pollutant if it enters a watercourse and can have severe and long-term consequences. The increase in excessive nutrients drastically reduces the oxygen content in the water and can be the cause of major fish kills.

"To protect water quality within our fisheries, we are asking the farming community to continue to be vigilant and practise good farmyard management.

"Any member of the public can report suspected pollution directly to Inland Fisheries Ireland’s 24-hour confidential hotline on 1890-347424.”