Irish growers have been dealt a fresh blow with the official go-ahead for a so-called "super dump" in the heart of their industry, right in the middle of horticulture minister Trevor Sargent’s constituency.
The minister has led the fight against the proposed siting of what will be the largest landfill facility in the Republic near Lusk, in his north county Dublin constituency. At a lengthy planning inquiry earlier this year, challenging the local council’s approval of the project, he warned that the water supply could become contaminated through leakage, with devastating consequences for the area’s growers.
However, at the weekend, the Irish Planning Board (An Bord Pleanala), which had heard the appeal, ruled that the facility should go ahead, subject to a number of conditions. One of these is that the landfill should handle only 300,000 tonnes of household waste a year, not the 500,000t originally proposed.
The board said it had given the go-ahead because the dump “would not seriously injure the amenities of the area or property in the vicinity”.
Sargent was quick to disagree, describing the decision as “very disappointing”, especially given the concerns about the water supply. He said: “Because of the importance of the region to horticulture - it supplies more than 50 per cent of Irish vegetables - it is vital that the standard of the groundwater supply be maintained.”
The minister has not given up the fight and is looking to Brussels and to the Irish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as possible saviours. The facility cannot be built until it is licensed, and the EPA will not decide the licence issue until next February.
“I will be very keen to see its decision,” said Sargent, adding: “I am also awaiting a response from the European Commission, which has been taking an interest in the measures required to protect the groundwater in the area.”
According to local potato grower David Rodgers, who farms 350 acres, all those involved in horticulture are worried about the long-term impact of the facility. “They can give you all the assurances in the world and bring in all the experts in the world, but the reality is that just one leak can pollute the whole area,” he said.
In addition to the threat to horticulture, five families will be forced to leave their homes to make way for the landfill. Campaigners against the facility are considering whether to challenge the planning board’s decision in the courts.
