Farmers protest about risk from new work on Tynagh Mines site

The Irish Farmers' Association said yesterday that it intends to continue protesting outside Tynagh Mines in Co Galway until it gets guarantees about the safety of materials and emissions.

Up to 30 protesters picketed the site in east Galway yesterday and demanded an immediate meeting with the Galway county manager.

Mr Pat Whelan, chairman of the Tynagh Mines Environment Action Group, said local farmers and residents were worried about development work on the site by Sperrin Galvanisers Ireland Ltd, a Derry company which has planning permission to construct a dipping facility for steel at the old mine site.

The company, which was not available for comment, is currently laying the foundations for the facility. Mr Whelan said the impact of this work could be very serious in terms of the local community, water quality and food production.

"There's been large amounts of dust flying off the site and there has been no clearance from Galway County Council or anybody else about the safety of this," he said.

Mr Noel O'Reilly, also a member of the group said the farmers had met county council officials last Friday and had expressed fears about cyanide in the wells.

Sheep had died, Mr O'Reilly said, and the community wanted an active management plan initiated which would monitor all work on the site. In the interim, all developments there should be halted, he said. He added that the county council had referred the group to the Environmental Protection Agency, but the EPA had referred it back to the local authority.

"Last Monday morning the gates were open and there was full activity on the site. A tractor and tanker sucked up water and transported it out," Mr O'Reilly said. That water will pass along the top of contaminated land as proven by two environment studies and make its way into the water courses. These water courses end up in the River Shannon," he said.

A spokesman for Galway County Council said the local authority had tested water in the wells around the site and these results would be made available. They would continue to monitor the situation and liaise with the relevant groups, he said.