Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Táim ag tarraingt aníos an cheist seo faoi thruailliú san Súlán i Maigh Chromtha. Tá go leor de mhuintir na háite tar éis an cheist seo a tharraingt aníos linn. Faigheann siad an boladh agus feiceann siad an truailliú san abhainn agus tá siad buartha nach bhfuil Uisce Éireann nó an EPA ag dul i ngleic leis an bhfadhb. Feicimid go bhfuil a ghnó idir lámha acu ach, idir an dá linn, tá truailliú leanúnach ann agus tá sé ann le roinnt mhaith blianta. Tá an cheist seo tarraingthe aníos arís is arís eile ag muintir na háite, leis an EPA agus le hUisce Éireann, agus braitheann siad nach bhfuil an EPA dáiríre mar gheall air agus nach bhfuil sé ag tabhairt faoin dream atá ag déanamh an truaillithe.

This needs to be brought to a head. It is positive that there is ongoing work and that a new plant is being put in place. It is likely to resolve issues, but in the meantime, there is pollution and there is a polluter who appears to be walking away from it. That is very much at odds with other situations around where if a farmer was a polluter or if it was in a commercial enterprise, they would feel the full rigours of the law, and rightly so. One polluter should not be treated differently from another polluter. There should be convictions followed up on polluters on the Sullane as we are seeing here in Macroom.

I note the point that the Minister of State makes about the recent incident and about the likelihood that it is related to flooding or recent heavy rains. It is much more than that. That is just a cop-out or a fob-off by the same authorities. We know this has been going on for some time and it is not just about heavy rainfall. If a plant is not operating, the operator should be held accountable, and if the environment is being polluted, the full rigours of the law should be on the polluter.

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