An Taisce is to seek leave to appeal to the Supreme Court the recent High Court ruling on the proposed expansion by Glanbia of its Belview plant.
In a statement yesterday, An Taisce said its board had unanimously agreed to seek leave to appeal to the Supreme Court in respect of the recent decision by Mr Justice Humphreys dismissing its challenge to An Bord Pleanála’s decision to grant planning permission for the Belview cheese plant.
It said its decision is based on a considered analysis of the legal aspects of the case and is rooted in the principles and values central to the mission and role of An Taisce — to protect and advocate for ecological resilience and the future viability of the natural environment.
“Our concerns are increasingly underpinned by a series of reports from the Environmental Protection Agency and other authorities indicating the impacts of intensive agriculture on water and air quality and the increasing greenhouse gas emissions from that sector,” the statement said.
“It is our conviction that the original judgment raised points of law that are of exceptional public importance and which require to be appealed in the public interest.
“The judgment also creates a precedent in law that dilutes a number of important prior decisions that served to ensure rigorous assessment of the environmental impacts of proposed developments at the planning stage.” Glanbia Ireland chief executive
Jim Bergin said the project is critical to market diversification post-Brexit, will support rural Ireland’s post-Covid recovery and is of huge importance to the 4,500 farms supplying milk to Glanbia Ireland.
According to Glanbia Ireland the combined impact of An Taisce’s four consecutive challenges to the project has been a two-year delay, and this latest proposed appeal could delay the project further.
Meanwhile, a €40m plan to expand the Kerrygold butter processing plant in Mitchelstown has been put on ice following the lodging of an objection to the proposal with
An Bord Pleanála. Kerrygold Butter Packing Ireland, a subsidiary of Ornua, lodged an application for the expansion in March, which the company said would double the capacity at the existing plant to 80,000t per year.
In his submission to the appeals board, local resident and consultant engineer Kevin Finn said that while he did not object to the development in principle, he was keen that certain conditions would be attached to the development.
A spokesperson for Cork Co Council said they had yet to receive appeals documents from An Bord Pleanála, but it’s understood that concerns include traffic movement in the vicinity of the plant, noise and odours from the plant.
It is understood the appellant also expressed concerns about the impact of the proposal on the environment, as increased production would require more raw materials, resulting in larger cow herds and increased CO2 and ammonia.