FROM September, pig producers found guilty in the courts of causing pollution could face fines of up to £10 million.
Under the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Act 1992, the agency will assume control of the industry in September, after which pig farmers with 100 to 300 sows will have to apply for an integrated pollution licence.
The IFA is opposing the move, arguing that licence costs which could be up to £3,000 could put some producers out of business, according to Mr Ned Walsh, secretary of the IFA's National Pigs Committee.
In a submission to the EPA, the association says other farmers, such as dairy farmers, are not required to operate under licence and that existing controls, imposed by local authorities, are adequate.
Mr Walsh added that pig farming would be the first agri-industry sector to come under the control of an agency other than the Department of Agriculture. "We are fearful that this is just a start, and that eventually the EPA will a some even more control of the industry," he added.
Mr lain Maclean, a director of the EPA, said yesterday the agency would pay particular attention to the use of slurry as well as when and how it was spread.
Once pig farmers have applied for the licence, EPA inspectors will visit their farms and issue guidelines on how the unit should be run. The inspectors will than visit the farms at intervals to enforce the provisions of the licence and, says Mr Maclean, the producer will have to pay the cost of monitoring and enforcement. This could involve an additional annual outlay of up to £1,000, he added.
Initially, up to five pig farmers will be licensed, but ultimately some 250 producers are expected to come under the aegis of the EPA. Under the EPA Act, polluters will face fines of up to £1,000, or imprisonment for up to 12 months, on summary conviction.
The penalty for conviction on indictment, however, will be up to £10 million or imprisonment of up to 10 years or both, at the discretion of the courts. After conviction, pig farmers who continue to pollute will be liable to a fine of £200 a day after summary conviction in the courts.