By Róise Collins

ANGLERS have shared their frustration and anger at the serious pollution they encounter in Donegal rivers caused by sheep dip tanks, claiming that the Inland Fisheries Ireland Environmental Office have failed to sanction those responsible.

The comments are in response to the publication of a report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which revealed that toxic impacts have been found in several Donegal rivers as the result of inappropriate disposal of spent sheep dip.

Sheep dipping is a method of agricultural pest control where sheep are immersed in water containing insecticides.

On Monday the Donegal News reported that toxic impacts have been found in several Donegal rivers as the result of inappropriate disposal of spent sheep dip.

The EPA’s National Hazardous Waste Management Plan 2021-2027 sets out measures to improve the prevention and management of hazardous waste such as farm hazardous waste including spent sheep dip; unused and expired medicines; household hazardous waste including surplus paint and the assessment of national infrastructure and capacity.

A section within the Plan on sheep dipping noted issues in Donegal, citing that EPA biological monitoring found toxic impacts in the Finn and Murlin Rivers, where dipping baths were located upstream of the monitoring points in otherwise good habitat catchments.

Following the report the Federation of Irish Salmon and Seatrout Anglers (FISSTA) have claimed that Inland Fisheries Ireland Environmental Office have failed to sanction the abusers of a number of sheep dipping tank users in South and Central Donegal.

“FISSTA Donegal anglers have knowledge that local fishery officers alerted their Environmental Officer that there was fresh sheep dip in a certain tank which was only meters from the river bank,” a spokesperson said.

“The facility was built there in the 1980’s by Donegal County Council and should have been removed years ago. There are hundreds of such sheep dipping units scattered across Donegal which are still being used to pollute.

“This is yet another water quality scandal which IFI and Donegal County Council are presiding over and yet there are no plans or funds put in place to remove the facilities and replace them with mobile sheep dipping contractors who dispose of their used dip responsibly and under certification to comply with the regulations.”

FISSTA Donegal explained that they have submitted Freedom of Information requests to both DCC and IFI to see when the Environmental Officer filed the report and what action the regional director has taken to close down the offending tanks.

The Donegal News contacted the Inland Fisheries Ireland for a response but they had not replied at the time of going to print.