Farmer hit with fine of £6,000 for river pollution

A FARMER who used a rag and a pipe to plug a hole in a slurry tank has been fined £6,000 after the waste polluted a river.

Norman Greer admitted two environmental offences at Perth Sheriff Court after he failed to correctly store slurry and failing to notify the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) properly that he had a new waste storage system at Wharlawhill Farm near Carnbo in Kinross.

On 17 February 2014, slurry was observed in the South Queich river leaving the waters discoloured, foaming and with a strong smell.

Sepa officers traced the discharge upstream to an unnamed tributary of the South Queich and then to the slurry tank on Wharlawhill Farm which was found to be leaking.

Officers noted large puddles of slurry and significant foaming visible on the ground around the tank, while a drainage pipe installed around the tank was connected to a field drainage pipe which was discharging slurry directly to the tributary.

On inspection, it appeared that the slurry had been leaking from a hole in the slurry tank. A rag and a pipe had been used to plug this hole.

Sepa’s reporting office said of the incident: “The fine for this incident should provide a clear message to other farmers who choose to disregard environmental legislation, that storing slurry correctly is of paramount importance. While slurry is a useful fertiliser, it is also a highly polluting substance.

“Poor storage led to over 1km of the local river being polluted following a leak, an issue which could have been avoided had it been addressed by the farmer.”