The role of Donegal County Council in tackling issues relating to sheep dipping has been highlighted by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The EPA’s mid-term Evaluation of the National Hazardous Waste Management Plan includes a section on sheep dipping which notes issues in Donegal in recent years.
It also identifies a number of challenges, including the regulation of mobile dippers, particularly those operating on a cross border basis.
According to the EPA, several rivers in County Donegal have been affected by inappropriate disposal of spent sheep dip.
EPA biological monitoring has found toxic impacts in the Finn and Murlin Rivers where dipping baths were located upstream of the monitoring points in otherwise good habitat catchments.
Donegal County Council has undertaken countywide information campaigns and a Catchment Care project in the Upper Finn Catchment. This included a trial on integrated constructed wetlands at three dipping bath sites.
Monitoring last year has shown improvements in aquatic life in the Upper Finn River and further research on their effectiveness is taking place this year.
Last year, a cross-agency forum on the disposal of waste or spent sheep dip was convened, including representatives from the council, the Department of Agriculture, the EPA and other bodies.
It drafted a Code of Practice, disposal, and it’s hoped a professional user register will be set up next month.
You can read the full report here – National-Hazardous-Waste-Management-Plan-Mid-term-Evaluation-2021-2027
