North Cork Creameries says it is 'not the cause' of the Blackwater fish kill
North Cork Creameries has said there "is nothing at any level of concentration or content in the wastewater effluent outflow" from its facility that could have caused a large fish kill in Co. Cork.
North Cork Creameries is a farmer owned co-op processing an estimated 315 million equivalent whole milk litres a year.
The co-op has categorically stated that "it is not the cause of the Blackwater fish kill".
Earlier this month Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) confirmed it was investigating a large fish kill - that may have killed up to 1,000 brown trout - in the River Blackwater, Co Cork.
IFI had also outlined that "disease outbreaks can occur in wild fish populations and are influenced by numerous factors including environmental change".
According to the co-op, the fish kill, which occurred on August 12 in the River Blackwater, in the area of Lombardstown, Mallow, Co. Cork was a "full 10km away" from its facility.
In a statement issued to Agriland North Cork Creameries said: "The fish kill is a deeply serious and distressing event for the entire community.
"But it is an equally serious issue, and essential, to ensure accountability that is based on evidence, not assumption.
"Unfounded claims, speculation, or selective use of information risk misleading the public and unfairly damaging reputation".
The co-op has also detailed that it has been working with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) "over a period of months to ensure compliance with the wastewater emission licence which we hold".
The EPA last week had released a report following an inspection visit to North Cork Creameries, Strand Street, Kanturk, Co. Cork facility on August 12.
In this report it said the co-op was "non-compliant" with its discharge licence.
However North Cork Creameries has cautioned that this "existing EPA process should not and must not be misinterpreted or conflated into the Blackwater incident".
North Cork Creameries said: "Following the incident, the EPA stated that their investigation had found no causal link between our site and the fish kill in the River Blackwater.
"Furthermore, local EPA officials themselves have recently described water quality in the River Allow - both upstream and downstream of our facility - as good which is the second highest grade for river water quality - next to high - on the 5 level grading scale used by the EPA".
The co-op also referenced tests conduced by the EPA and IFI on relevant river tributaries and the River Blackwater in the affected area on August 12 and in subsequent days, and they continue to carry out tests.
North Cork Creameries said: "On August 12, EPA officials attended and observed normal fish activity in the River Allow beside our facility.
"We are aware of the ‘grab water’ test results issued by the EPA, following samples taken on August 12, at our wastewater outflow, finalised on August 22 and published on August 22.
"We also make our own regularly occurring test results available to the EPA in compliance with our licence and we will liaise with them to cross-correlate this data".
According to the co-op despite the "non-compliant water quality test result noted in the immediate area of our licensed wastewater outflow" the levels identified by the test are "not at any level" that could have resulted in the fish kill.
"Following the incident we also engaged qualified environmental and ecology consultants to examine and take independent samples from the River Allow, a Blackwater tributary, at our location - on August 13 and 14.
"These also confirmed overall normal water quality and overall healthy fish activity.
"It is essential for the EPA to publish reports from the water quality samples taken for every facility that they have examined along the waterway following the incident," the co-op added.
North Cork Creameries also confirmed that an EPA representative informed the co-op that it was the agency's "view that the fish kill commenced near the Lombardstown area" which is 10km downstream of the co-op's location.
North Cork Creameries added: "On August 12 there was no fish kill identified in the tributary River Allow beside our facility. The overall river quality and fish presence was considered to be normal.
"It is entirely impossible, wrong and incorrect for anyone to state that we are connected with the fish kill 10km away in the greater River Blackwater".
North Cork Creameries has now appealed to "concerned parties" to focus only on evidence rather than fuelling speculation.
It also emphasised that it is "totally committed to environmental protection and sustainability on every level and have made and are continuing to make major investments in this area".
"We engage with the EPA proactively and co-operatively, both in compliance with our licensing requirements and in line with our commitment to environmental sustainability throughout the entirety of our operations and we will continue to do so at all times," the co-op added.
Separately the IFI has said that together with Cork County Council and the EPA, it will continue to "further assess water and habitat quality overall" in the coming week following the fish kill on the River Blackwater.
