Farmer fined after slurry polluted river and killed fish
A FARMER has been fined after his management of slurry polluted a river and killed thousands of fish.
Iwan Humphreys, of Crachdy Uchaf, Llanfynydd, in Carmarthenshire, caused a discharge of slurry in the Afon Dulais that severely affected almost 5km of the river.
The 42-year-old pleaded guilty to the offence, which took place on July 8 last year, under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016.
Mr Humphreys caused the “worst level of harm”, classed as category one, by a district judge.
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) investigation officers were on site on July 8 last year and found evidence over several days that the source of the discharge was from Crachdy Uchaf Farm.
Environment officers and specialists carried out a co-ordinated investigation to find the extent and seriousness of the pollution, which included taking water samples, gathering evidence, carrying out carcass counts and capturing photographic evidence.
They counted at least 2,478 dead fish, including 746 brown trout.
They also found much of the macro-invertebrate population essential to the river’s ecosystem had been lost.
Ioan Williams, environment team leader for NRW, said: “This act of negligence had a devastating impact on the Afon Dulas. It will take a significant amount of time for the river to recover.
“This was a serious incident that could have been prevented had the farmer made adequate checks. We were left with no other option but to take enforcement action.”
Appearing at Swansea Magistrates’ Court on Friday, December 11, Mr Humphreys was ordered to pay the highest level fine for the offence, totalling £11,366.
This consisted of a £1,760 fine, costs of £9,430 and a charge.
Mr Williams added: “I urge farmers and contractors to be particularly vigilant during the winter months to help prevent polluting our waterways.
“Carry out regular checks on slurry levels and storage infrastructure. If you are close to overtopping contact NRW for advice.
“We can help you minimise the risk of causing pollution.
“Only spread slurry when conditions are right, which means don’t spread at times when rain is forecast over the next 24 hours, when the ground is saturated and when the ground is frozen hard.
“We recognise that sometimes things do go wrong, but we urge farmers that if they know they have caused pollution, to report it to us at NRW immediately by calling 0300 065 3000.
“The sooner we know about it, the sooner we can work with them to try to reduce the impact on the environment.” £176 victim sur