Independent MEP Kathy Sinnott tonight criticised the Taoiseach Mr Ahern for disregarding local people during his visit to the Aughinish Alumina factory in Limerick.
Mr Ahern visited the alumina-producing facility to view the construction of a €100 million combined heat and power plant which will supply energy to the company and the national grid.
However, Ms Sinnott said he had failed to address local concerns about the 800,000 tonnes of waste dumped in the factory's red mud pond. "It shows a complete disregard for the local people. It's hard to find words for the message the visit sends," she said.
A leaked 1997 memo by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classified the red mud waste as hazardous and also revealed there was extensive water pollution in 33 plant observation wells.
However, the EPA's 2004 report described the red mud as "non-hazardous'. The agency has since said Aughinish Alumina is in full compliance with its Integrated Pollution Control (IPC) licence.
Ms Sinnott, who is a member of the European Parliament's Environmental Committee, said would raise her concerns there. "I also have one minute of speaking time next week with the European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and I will try to squeeze it in," she said.
The Aughinish Alumina factory, which was established on a 1,000 acre site near Askeaton in 1983, produces more than 1.5 million tons of alumina each year.
Mr Ahern defended his visit to the plant, saying it was the most highly regulated of its kind in Europe. He added that the EPA were the independent agency who were responsible for supervising it.
PA