Dan Brennan brought his case to Brussels on Tuesday last, accompanied by two vets and Green Party councillor Mary White.

Cllr White said she welcomed their decision and also welcomed that the EPA and the Department of Agriculture had been “rapped” for failing the Co. Kilkenny farmer.

“I very much welcome the decision to keep this petition open and to come on a fact finding mission to Dan Brennan’s farm in Castlecomer.

“Anyone who has visited the farm will be shocked at the small size and state of the cattle. It is obvious that there is a serious problem affecting the farm, which has been attributed to non-farming practices and which also affects the trees on the farm,” Cllr White said.

The Green Party deputy leader said she also welcomed that the EPA and the department’s failure to resolve the problem was heavily criticized by the petitions committee.

“I look forward to the committee’s visit and to the speedy discovery of the problem that has led to years of ill thrift and stunted growth on this farm,” she said.

The European Parliament committee has also asked that a full review of all the scientific reports carried out on the farm. Member of the petitions committee and MEP for Ireland East, Mairéad McGuinness said she welcomed the outcome of Tuesday’s hearing. “However, there are still unanswered questions raised by the Commission with the Irish authorities around implementation of environmental directives,” she said. “Tuesday’s hearing will advance the cause of finding out what went wrong on this farm and how it might be resolved,” Ms McGuinness added.

Source: The Nationalist