Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue has said he will move to establish a review and reassessment of how his department handled allegations by Dan Brennan that emissions from the now-closed Ormonde brick factory in Castlecomer Co. Kilkenny were directly responsible for abnormal growth patterns within his farm’s cattle herd.

The move has been welcomed by independent TD for Laois-Offaly, Carol Nolan, as well as members of the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee including its chair Jackie Cahill.

Deputy Cahill had initiated a debate on the case following the publication of the committee’s report on the matter which was debated in the Dáil this week.

The Dáil debate heard members of the committee describe the situation as stinking to the high heavens”.

Dan Brennan

The committee’s report on the matter outlines how on November 30, 2021 the Oireachtas Joint Committee held a public meeting on the topic of ‘Environmental Impact of Local Emissions’, during which the committee met with Kilkenny farmer Dan Brennan.

Brennan had raised issues with regard to the environmental impact allegedly caused by industrial emissions from the Ormonde Brick Factory on his farm in Castlecomer.

The committee heard evidence from Dan Brennan and other witnesses about the poor condition and growth of cattle on his farm during the period of operation of the neighbouring Ormonde Brick Factory, ending in 2008.

The committee subsequently wrote to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine (DAFM) and the CRH group (successor to the company which operated the Ormonde Brick Factory), offering them the opportunity to respond to the claims.

The report notes that all the parties, in effect, took the position that “the issues had been satisfactorily investigated by an Inter Agency Group, including the EPA, which had reported in 2010”.

The Inter Agency Group had reported that “it had not found evidence to indicate that environmental pollution caused ill thrift and poor growth rates in animals on the farm and had suggested that the problems in the herd were multifactorial in source and that common infectious diseases were likely to have been responsible”.

The committee, however, “heard extensive criticism of the methods and practices used by the investigating bodies during the hearing on the 30 November 2022″.

Committee members were of the view that while they were not equipped to conduct an investigation of these matters, they had major concerns arising from the response of the regulatory authorities in investigating the case.

ploughing ban UTP TD Nolan/Scheme Minister urged to make support payments for hauliersforestry — Independent TD for Laois-Offaly, Carol Nolan

Commenting on the matter, Deputy Carol Nolan said: “We know from Mr. Brennan’s own testimony that over a 30-year period, beginning from approximately 1990, his cows were producing between 30% and 40% of the amount of milk that would be expected and that his cattle were extremely stunted and used to have a high mortality rate.

“We also know, as the committee’s own report details, that experiments conducted at the time, including feeding tests involving animals from his farm being moved to other locations and animals from other locations being moved to his farm, supported his view that the problems on his farm were due to pollution.

“I share the view of many members of the [Joint Oireachtas] Agriculture Committee that this case is a textbook example of how powerful interests and the failure of regulatory authorities can potentially combine to make the life of innocent famers an absolute torture over the course of decades,” she added.

Nolan stressed that there must be accountability and added that “no farm family should ever have to go through what Mr. Brennan and his family have gone through”.

vet school /committee Image source: Jackie Cahill 1 Fianna Fáil Fertiliser underpasses — Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Jackie Cahill

Meanwhile, Deputy Jackie Cahill added: “I am delighted that Dan Brennan’s case will finally receive the independent review that it deserves.

“Dan and his family have battled for years for justice into what happened on his farm and how this issue was handled by the department at the time.

“I have been working with Dan Brennan for the last couple of years in my capacity as chairperson of the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee.

“Dan and his colleagues previously made a presentation in front of the committee where he outlined the years of struggle he has experienced as a result of the alleged pollution on his farm by a neighbouring factory.

“We have a long list of questions that we need clarified so that Dan and his family can finally have the answers they deserve.”

Dan Brennan

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brick factory

Review of DAFM handling of Dan Brennan case to take place