Residents near Cashel in Co Tipperary are enraged after plans for a controversial incinerator were given the go-ahead by the county council yesterday.
Shocked council members said residents near the proposed incinerator were "living in fear" and the public had lost all faith in the planning process.
A local company, National By-Products Ltd, had applied for permission to build the incinerator for the thermal treatment of meat and bone-meal beside an existing animal-rendering plant at Castleblake, about five miles from Cashel.
National By-Products claims the incinerator would create 25 jobs and produce extra "green electricity" which could be sold and routed to the national grid.
Mr Tom Hayes (FG) said the decision would have "frightening consequences" for the local area. He criticised the way the proposal was fast-tracked through the planning process and the lack of public consultation.
Cllr Derry Foley (FG) said he was horrified at the decision. "Why do we put the money-making objectives of big industry before the health of people in the area?" he asked.
Cllr Sean McCarthy (FF), also a local GP, claimed the incinerator could emit thousands of tons of ash "loaded with dioxins" and could cause birth defects and hormonal imbalances.
Cllr John Fahey (FG) said that one in three Irish people had cancer, and the incinerator would make the local environment more toxic.
Answering the members' concerns, the assistant county manager, Mr Ned O'Connor, said the county council was complying fully with the proper planning and development of the area.
He rejected claims that the local authority had not dealt with the application in a proper manner and denied suggestions that it contravened the development plan.