Farmers in Limerick who applied for planning permission to build over-ground slurry tanks in the last 10 years were informed in August that the county council would be inspecting the tanks.

In the letter seen by the Irish Farmers Journal, the council wrote to farmers: “The council will shortly be visiting all farms with over-ground slurry stores to assess the risk to waters posed by these facilities and associated agitation tanks and to determine if there is a requirement to put in place mitigation measures.”

Although inspections have yet to take place, the council is anxious about effluent leaking and entering water supplies.

Limerick IFA chair Shay Galvin has said that farmers are concerned that the council will insist on the construction of containment bunds (moats) around slurry tanks that have already received planning permission and been built.

“If the Department of Agriculture don’t have an issue with the slurry towers why should the county council?” Galvin said.

“Limerick County Council say they want to highlight the risks involved with slurry towers. If they wanted to highlight the risks, they could have just sent a letter instead of having an inspection. The time to do a risk assessment was when planning permission was granted, not after the slurry tower has been built.”

Aidan Leonard, agricultural scientist with Limerick County Council, has sought to reassure farmers: “The inspections are intended to be in an advisory role to advise farmers regarding valve issues on slurry towers.”

“Of the three or four incidences in Limerick over the last couple of years, valves didn’t close properly and effluent was leaking out; it wasn’t due to bad farming practices,” Leonard told the Irish Farmers Journal.

The IFA and Limerick County Council are due to meet this week to discuss the proposed inspections.