The Minister for the Marine has said he will not "sit idly by" and allow Ireland's rivers to be damaged. He said he would be seeking assurances from farmers and industry about pollution.
Dr Woods's warning, issued yesterday, followed the third major fish kill of the summer with the destruction of fish life on an eight-mile stretch of the Mulkear river in Co Limerick. The Shannon Regional Fisheries Board is satisfied that the pollution, which killed more than 20,000 salmon and trout, "is as a result of agricultural practices".
Dr Woods is scheduled to meet the main farming organisations on Thursday to discuss the Mulkear fish kill. "I want to emphasise . . . that the present arrangements for prevention of such incidents are simply not working and that there is urgent need for critical reassessment of these arrangements," the Minister said in a statement.
Commenting on the improvements which had been made in game fish rivers, he warned: "I am not going to sit idly by and watch that good work unravel . . . I will be asking farmers and the industry for reassurance that they will exercise maximum care and vigilance."
The Minister of State for the Environment and Local Government, Mr Dan Wallace, said yesterday there must be a commitment from the farming community "in particular" to take measures to reduce the pollution load from farming. He said some fish kills were "primarily due to irresponsible practices on the part of individual farmers".
Meanwhile, people living near the Mulkear are complaining bitterly about the stench from the river. Fishery board workers are waiting for the high waters caused by flooding to drop to start cleanup operations.
The Mulkear Anglers' Association yesterday called on Dr Woods to make emergency funds available to tackle "the major environmental disaster which continues to spread down the Mulkear river".
A statement said anglers were furious that, 36 hours after the kill was first reported, the poisonous effluent continued to pour into the river.
"Efforts by the fisheries board to close the sluice gates on the offending tributary have failed and fish continue to die as the poisons continue down-stream."
Some eight miles of prime salmon angling and nursery area was wiped out on Wednesday and Thursday and a further eight miles is under serious threat. The board claimed the source of the pollution was agricultural, emanating from the Callows area of the Dead River, a tributary of the Mulkear.
Its staff and staff from the ESB and Limerick County Council have carried out investigations "to pinpoint the culprit of this pollution", according to the board.
Cappamore Fire Brigade, under the command of Mr John Mulready, helped the board in pumping thousands of gallons of water in an effort to increase the oxygen levels and prevent further fish deaths.
The fisheries board yesterday called on farming organisations and the Department of Agriculture and Teagasc to put greater resources into the education of farmers on pollution control measures. The board also asked farm organisations to take a tougher stand against those convicted of pollution.
The secretary of the Mulkear Anglers' Association, Mr Andy McCallion, said anglers were unhappy with the manner in which the problem was being tackled. He said the sluice gates were open, allowing effluent still to flow into the river, and he spoke to the fisheries board and the office of the Minister to highlight their concerns.
He estimated that a 12-mile stretch was completely wiped out and another six miles would be wiped out if the sluice gate was not closed.
The manager of the Shannon Regional Fisheries Board, Mr Eamon Cusack, said it would be normal in this weather for dead fish to rot and smell.