The Oireachtas agriculture committee has recommended a commission of investigation be established to study the alleged environmental contamination of Dan Brennan’s farm in Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny.

The recommendation comes following Brennan’s appearance before the committee in November of last year, where he was supported by the late former IFA president Padraig Walshe in his call for answers.

Brennan’s case, which was first reported by the Irish Farmers Journal in 2006, saw the farmer have problems with very low milk yields, poor growth rates in stock and some defoliation in hedgerows.

Adamant

At the time, investigations were carried out by the Department of Agriculture, the veterinary school in UCD, the regional veterinary laboratory in Kilkenny and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), who remain adamant that the farmer’s case was satisfactorily investigated.

Brennan insisted that he never got answers, something the agriculture committee, chaired by Jackie Cahill TD, now agrees with.

It now recommends that Government establish a commission of investigation under section three of the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004 and has requested that Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue make the necessary proposal to Government.

Successor company

The CRH Group is the successor company to that which operated the former Ormonde Brick Factory near Brennan’s farm. It continues to refute any allegation of pollution at the plant.

Recover

However, when the brick factory in Castlecomer was closed permanently in 2008, Brennan claims his farm began to recover.

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