Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 30 September 2025

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy

Fish Kill in the River Blackwater: Discussion

2:00 am

Photo of Liam QuaideLiam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats)
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In my final question of the previous round, I made reference to the points made by Conor Arnold of Killavullen Angling Club. He expressed the opinion of many anglers and other members of the community that the investigation was disjointed, delayed and deeply flawed. The responses from all of the agencies here suggest that they all acted in a timely and appropriate fashion. It sounds like they would not necessarily act differently if this happened again. That prospect is deeply concerning to the communities impacted by this catastrophic event, which are looking to the agencies to offer ongoing protection to the Blackwater. Do the agencies have anything to learn from their handling of this investigation? Is there anything they would have done differently?