Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)

What also became apparent during those discussions following that fish kill is that there are major gaps in the EPA enforcement programme.

The agency has a national priority sites register, which has the poorest performing sites on it. For example, it monitors 900 sites and four are currently on that list, so they really are the poorest performing sites and North Cork Creameries is one of them. North Cork Creameries received its licence in 2019. It has been on the national priority list for the EPA in quarter 3 in 2021, quarters 2,3 and 4 in 2022, all of 2023, all of 2024 and two quarters in 2025. Despite all those compliance issues, the EPA has not suspended the creamery's licence yet. It is incredible that an entity can be in non-compliance for the majority of its licence period with no enforcement actions undertaken by the EPA other than an €11,000 fine. For a company that generates a profit in excess of €200 million, €11,000 is a drop in the ocean. It will make no difference. Can the Minister of State please look into the EPA's enforcement processes and ensure that when entities are in non-compliance they are held accountable?

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