Farmer considering legal options over Hackett tweet

The owner of the farm which Minister of State Pippa Hackett filmed and tweeted where a controlled burn was being carried out in March has said he was “left open to ridicule” and “was slandered online” a result of the minister’s tweet.

Joe Malone, who farms in Mount Lucas, Co Offaly, told the Irish Farmers Journal this week that anyone from around the local area would have known it was his farm and that he is considering his legal options.

He had hired a contractor to carry out the burning.

“She could have called to me but she never came to ask was everything done within the regulations.

“I made contact with her and she was adamant that she did nothing wrong and she wouldn’t apologise. There was people calling it vandalism on Twitter and it left the door open for anyone to say what they like,” he said.

Malone said that the fire brigade were called on the day, by whom he doesn’t know. “Six firemen came out, drove into the field and said that it was a controlled burn, that there was nothing to see here. Their time was wasted.

“All of the hedges were cut before the nesting season. They had been piled up and left to dry out.

“The contractor had got permission from the county council to burn them – it was a controlled burn,” he said.

Minister Hackett had said that there was a high-risk fire warning in place at the time of the burning.

That warning stated that the “current ignition risks appear to be mainly associated with burning of vegetation in upland areas”.

‘Completely safe’

Malone contends that “it was completely safe” to carry out the burning and that it didn’t fall under the criteria set out under the fire risk.

“There was people I didn’t know saying it was criminal. One man said it was vandalism – loads jumped on her story. It’s not fair, this trial by social media.

“My character was tarnished on Twitter, surely ethically, she crossed a line? I’m looking at my legal options.

“She should have come up to my house and asked had I the permit. She didn’t. She went on a solo run and left me open to ridicule. I was destroyed on Twitter by people I don’t know and people that don’t know the full facts.”