Gardaí have confirmed that an investigation has been launched following an incident whereby bags of excrement were thrown at two politicians at a meeting in Co. Galway.
Minister of State for Disability at the Department of Health, Ann Rabitte, was attending a meeting near Gort in Co. Galway when a bag of excrement was thrown at her.
The Galway east TD confirmed the incident on Twitter last night:
Her colleague Deputy Ciaran Cannon, who also attended the meeting, was caught up in the incident.
He confirmed details of this on his Twitter account where he said that it was not yet known whether the bag thrown contained human or animal faeces.
“All part of the job you might say, but I can understand why fewer people want this job #politics,” he stated.
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) Pippa Hackett condemned the attack online.
“This was appalling behaviour – you were both just doing your job, with commitment and compassion. Shame on anyone who supports this action,” she said.
A spokesperson for the Gardaí told Agriland that “An Garda Síochána are investigating all the circumstances relating to an incident that occurred at a public meeting in Gort yesterday evening, Wednesday, January 4, 2022”.
It is understood that both politicians were attending a meeting which was held to discuss concerns over the recent granting of planning permission for a 25ac industrial biogas facility in Gort.
Gort biogas plant
The person or the motive behind the incident has not been identified. However, concerns had previously been expressed about the development of the plant, and what impact it will have on the town.
The Gort Biogas Cocern Group previously spoke to Agriland about its fears that the biogas facility, which is being developed by Sustainable Bio-Energy Ltd., could lead to potential water restrictions.
“The proposed Gort biogas plant will seek an additional 120 million litres/year to feed its digesters, equating to an average of a massive 328,000L/day,” said Ciaran O’ Donnell from the group.
“The plant’s peak demand will be at silage-cutting time – 65% of the plant’s feedstock will be silage – and we could see peak water demand at the plant rise to 650,000L/day.
“There is absolutely no capacity for this in the Gort water supply. We fully support the board’s request for clarification here as, once again, the Gort biogas applicants have absolutely no details of their water capacity analysis or impacts,” he said.