The Minister for the Marine has been accused of "surrendering to the farming lobby" over water pollution because of his official response to a series of fish kills. Following a meeting with representatives of farming organisations yesterday, Dr Woods announced details of an action plan on pollution prevention, involving a review of penalties. He spoke of the need to agree a code of practice between farming organisations and the fishery boards.
The plan, the Minister said, was "designed to ensure that the resources of the fisheries service and of all relevant agencies are deployed and mobilised to the best effect to prevent pollution, deal with the causes of pollution and to act swiftly when pollution occurs."
A former Minister of State for the Marine, Mr Eamon Gilmore TD, dismissed Dr Woods's reaction as inadequate. "Asking the fishery boards to run twice as fast to pick up dead fish isn't going to solve the problem," he said.
A far more comprehensive approach, involving all Government Departments and agencies, was required, Mr Gilmore said. This would involve the complete overhaul of legislation and the transfer of overall responsibility for water quality control to the fisheries boards. A phosphate tax on fertilisers also should be introduced.
Mr John Gormley TD of the Green Party was scathing on the Minister's proposals and described them as "a PR exercise".
What was required, he said, was a Government response, involving Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats, and not just the Minister for the Marine. Major water pollution, involving significant fish kills, had become a factor in Irish life since 1987, he said, and successive governments had failed to deal effectively with the situation.
Spokesmen for environmental protection groups also expressed dismay at the Minister's response and spoke of a sell-out to the farming lobby.
The president of the IFA, Mr John Donnelly, said farmers were fully committed to playing their part in preserving and improving the quality of our lakes and rivers. He called for the establishment of a "countryside management plan" to co-ordinate the interaction of agriculture and the rural environment as a whole.
He reminded Dr Woods of the shortfall in funding for the Control of Farm Pollution schemes and for the administration of Rural Environment Protection schemes.
The IFA and the ICMSA are resisting a proposal that the regional fishery boards be granted overall responsibility for monitoring and control of water quality.
Among his proposals, Dr Woods envisages the establishment of an Inland Fisheries Forum which would co-ordinate the exchange of information between Government Departments and agencies and would consult with agriculture and industry. Specialist laboratory services and equipment would be upgraded.
The Minister described his meeting with farmers' representatives as "positive and constructive" and said he was greatly encouraged by their responsible approach. "We need a partnership approach, across all the relevant agencies and sectors, to ensure that fishery resources and the habitats which support them are protected and conserved on a catchment management approach in the face of a wide variety of threats to their viability," the Minister said.