Northern Ireland | Farmer convicted at Dungannon Magistrates’ Court

June 18, 2025

DAERA | Harry Brown (62), Lurganeden Road, Pomeroy, Co Tyrone has been convicted for an offence under Article 7(1)(a) of the Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 as amended. He pleaded guilty and was fined £1,500 plus £15 Offenders Levy.

Harry Brown (62), Lurganeden Road, Pomeroy, Co Tyrone has been convicted for an offence under Article 7(1)(a) of the Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 as amended. He pleaded guilty and was fined £1,500 plus £15 Offenders Levy.

The Court heard that NIEA Water Quality Inspectors responded to a water pollution incident that had occurred sometime between 12 and 13 June 2024. The NIEA Inspectors discovered that dark grey coloured agricultural effluent was flowing along a ditch, alongside the Pomeroy Road, before discharging to the Claggan River (a tributary of the Ballinderry River which flows into Lough Neagh).

The Inspectors traced the flow of effluent to farm premises at Lurganeden Road. On the farm, Mr Brown explained that he had been cleaning out one of the poultry houses. A nearby wooded area was inspected and dark grey coloured agricultural effluent was observed to be actively flowing through that area, and then entering land drainage pipes, before discharge to the waterway.

As part of the investigation, a statutory sample of the discharge was collected and analysed. The sample results indicated that the sample contained poisonous, noxious or polluting matter which would have been potentially harmful to aquatic life in a receiving waterway.

It is an offence under the Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 (as amended by the Water and Sewerage Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006) under Article 7(1)(a) to make a polluting discharge to a waterway, under Article 7(2) to make a discharge of trade or sewage effluent into a waterway and under Article 7(6) for contravening the conditions of a consent issued under Article 7A3(a). This list is not exhaustive.

— Accurate at time of publication | June 2025

Sign-up to the Barbour Monthly Newsletter

Get the latest Health, Safety and Environmental news and information – sign up for updates from Barbour EHS. Computer monitor What you’ll get:
  • Free downloads including Directors’ Briefings, legislation updates, webinars, risk assessments and more
  • VIP invites to events
  • Important industry news and updates
  • Invitations to hot topic webinars hosted by Barbour
  • Industry partner information
[ssba-buttons]

You May Also Be Interested In

Comments are closed.

✉ Sign up to the Barbour Newsletter

Free downloads, advance notice of webinars, product updates and perks – all straight to your inbox.

  • Barbour EHS may from time to time send updates about Barbour products and services. By providing your contact information you consent to being contacted for direct marketing purposes by Barbour EHS. Please ensure you review our Privacy Policy.