The call for a public inquiry into what happened on Dan Brennan’s farm in Castlecomer has been rejected by the Agriculture Minister.
Sinn Féin Deputy Kathleen Funchion raised the matter in the Dáil in a follow up to an Oireachtas Agriculture Committee meeting last week.
It was highlighted at the meeting and subsequently by public representatives that there that there has never been a resolution for the local farmer.
It’s despite a report concluding that emissions from a local brick factory that subsequently closed were impacting the health of his cattle.
Deputy Funchion told the Minister it cannot just be left there:
“There needs to be an inquiry now with all the stakeholders because there needs to be accountability. It’s not good enough for people to say sorry to Dan Brennan and his family and that they understand that there was a burden and that they understand how difficult it was. We actually need to see accountability”
But Minister Charlie McConalogue indicated that there is no plan to revisit the matter:
“There isn’t any proposal to reopen it. I think there had been a very thorough assessment and investigation at the time”
However Deputy Funchion was not satisfied with that response:
“A great deal more needs to be done; this will not be the end of the matter. I am shocked to hear the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine believe that is just it. That certainly will not be the case from the point of view of the people in the area”
