Farmer Gerard Connon, of Crumlin, has been convicted under the Water (Northern Ireland) Order SI 1999/662 for making a polluting discharge to a waterway.
On 12 January 2012, a water quality inspector acting on behalf of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), inspected the Black Burn at Ballyquillan Road and observed fungal growth on the bed of the waterway, affecting approximately 650m of it. Further investigation determined that agricultural effluent was discharging from the farm premises of Mr Connon and subsequently entering the Black Burn.
A sample taken at the time of the incident confirmed that the discharge contained poisonous, noxious or polluting matter, which was potentially harmful to fishlife in the receiving waterway.
