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20 Oct 2025

Longford piggery “an environmental disaster waiting to happen”

Cllr Skelly said the heavy rain following Storm Amy had seen effluent, asbestos waste, and slurry water

Piggery

Cllr Skelly said the heavy rain following Storm Amy had seen effluent, asbestos waste, and slurry water

Reporter:

Tara King

20 Oct 2025 4:00 PM

Email:

tara.king@longfordleader.ie

“Literally a toxic site”, “an environmental disaster waiting to happen”, “a serious health hazard”, “an open sore in a beautiful village…”
Those were just some of the remarks used to describe a disused piggery in Newtowncashel by Councillor Martin Skelly as he addressed last week's meeting of Longford County Council. 
Cllr Skelly said the heavy rain following Storm Amy had seen effluent, asbestos waste, and slurry water flowing out onto the roads as well as into the drains going to the nearby Lough Slawn. 
Cllr Skelly added, “I believe an environmental disaster is potentially on the way. The effluent that comes from the piggery is seeping into the drains, the drains are going into Lough Slawn, and Lough Slawn leads into Lough Ree.
 “I believe this is potentially a mine field. For so many years I’ve been hearing that something is going to be done but nothing ever is. At this moment, the tanks are all full and facing into the winter, it’s going to be flooding out. 
“I know there are legal issues and other issues as well but the bottom line is, it’s a disaster, not just for the environment but there’s also a human element to this as well. 
“There are people living beside the piggery and their life has been made absolute hell by it. Sheer misery to live beside this where the effluent, the waste water, everything is running out of it onto the road, it’s just an absolute mess. 
“I am calling upon Longford County Council to spell out the urgency to the Department of the Environment or whichever department would be involved.” 
Voicing his support for Cllr Skelly, Cllr Paul Ross added that the former commercial pig farm had been built “without planning permission,” and added that the owner of the site had even been jailed back in 2013. 
 
Said Cllr Ross, “It’s literally a toxic site, an environmental hazard. I remember in a report over ten years ago, it said there was over 4 million gallons of slurry on this site; it’s the same now with slurry water.
“There seems to be a question of the ownership; apparently the owners have left the country. This shouldn’t be an issue, we have to solve this problem as soon as possible. It’s an open sore on the beautiful village of Newtowncashel and has been for the last number of years.”
In response to Cllr Skelly’s motion, Chief Executive Paddy Mahon said he couldn’t provide a response as the item had not been on the agenda.
Barabara Heslin, director of services whose responsibilities include roads and environment  added that she would be “happy to join the Ballymahon municipal district and give all elected members of the area the same update”

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