Liam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats)
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85. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the large-scale fish kill mortalities that occurred on the River Blackwater in Cork in August 2025; the actions he will take to prevent similar future occurrences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54983/25]

Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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I am asking this question on behalf of Deputy Liam Quaide. Has the Minister of State's attention has been drawn to the large-scale fish kill mortalities that occurred on the River Blackwater in County Cork in August 2025; the actions he will take to prevent similar future occurrences; and if he will make a statement on the matter?

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for the question. The Government, my Department and the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, are fully committed to protecting our rivers, safeguarding our fish stocks and supporting local communities and anglers. I fully recognise and acknowledge the seriousness of the fish kill on the River Blackwater near Mallow. This event has had a major impact on local community anglers and the wider catchment. From the outset, the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, was in regular contact with Inland Fisheries Ireland, IFI, the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, Cork County Council, local councillors and Oireachtas Members in the area. He has visited this site twice and established an interagency group to co-ordinate, investigate and respond. The investigation concluded in September by IFI on behalf of the interagency group set up to co-ordinate the investigation. The report is published on the IFI's website. The report provides a clear account of the State's response to and the investigation into the incident. The incident conclusively rules out systemic disease, water quality issues and licensed discharge. Evidence pointed to a short-lived waterborne irritant that dissipated before it could be traced as a source.

While it is regrettable that no specific cause was found, I assure the House that this was not due to a lack of effort or action but because the event was transient. The Minister of State and the Department are satisfied that every avenue was investigated with over 40 site inspections, 900 chemical screens, pathology tests and extensive monitoring, sampling and surveys were carried out by the interagency group. The priority is now to apply lessons learned from this event, strengthen enforcement and build resilience to ensure that we are better prepared to prevent and respond to any such further incidents. On that note, IFI has commenced the process of formalising a joint protocol with other relevant State agencies to address significant future pollutant events that result in fish kill. This will ensure that a combined emergency response will be deployed as quickly as possible to mitigate the effects of significant pollution discharge that impacts fish and their habitats.

Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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I thank the Minister of State very much. I visited the site with Deputy Quaide and spoke to many of the anglers there. It was a devastating fish kill. It was probably way more than 40,000 fish, such as trout, that were killed. The problem is that once those fish are gone, they are gone. Their reproduction capacity is gone. It will take more than ten years to get the river back to a standard and that will not naturally happen either. There has to be serious management and monitoring of the river because there are invasive species in it and they may now become the dominant species there. It is important issue that needs to be taken care. I welcome the interagency group. It is important that protocol is put in place immediately or as soon as possible. What was clear from investigating this was that all the different agencies were working in their own silos. There was little overlap between them. Unfortunately, the delays that happened allowed for that contaminant to wash through the system before any investigations could happen.

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for her focus and attention along with her colleagues on this matter. It is the responsibility of Inland Fisheries Ireland to continue to safeguard the fish stock and the habitat within the River Blackwater near Mallow. The Minister of State is extensively engaging on the management plan moving into the future regarding this significant incident. As the Deputy said, three key measures have been established: the joint emergency protocol, the independent review and we and the Minister of State are examining legislative amendments to strengthen IFI's enforcement powers and to ensure that we continue to work with other agencies regarding future and faster responses in the context of the significant incidents that occurred in Cork. The Deputy can be assured that my Department and all of its officials working with IFI are very much focused on what the learnings will be and how we can implement them into any future responses.

Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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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?

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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We need to be very careful identifying ----

Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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These are all facts. They are on the register.

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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-----specific entities here in the House without the right to reply.

Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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They have already been on the climate committee-----

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Allow the Minister of State respond, Deputy.

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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In fairness, we need to be very careful of the language we use regarding the extensive investigation that was undertaken around the ongoing monitoring of the River Blackwater and other catchments. It is incumbent on us to ensure this is done through an evidence-based, fact-finding mission. We are reassured that no water quality issues have been detected. We have also ensured that the river remains safe for angling and recreation. We have also monitored the drinking water for the Mallow treatment plant. That has been confirmed as safe and, indeed, we are taking significant measures in how we can make our system stronger, faster and more resilient to protect fish stock and the habitat.