Dead goat dumped at side of Wexford road — ‘Our staff aren’t paid enough for this kind of work’

By Simon Bourke, Wexford People

The person responsible for dumping a dead goat down a rural Wexford road should be “locked up in jail” according to independent councillor Paddy Kavanagh. The Gorey Kilmuckridge councillor discovered the discarded animal while out walking in his locality last week and immediately called council staff to dispose of it.

“Last week I came across a black sheet left on the side of the road with something wrapped up inside it,” he said at the July meeting of Wexford County Council (WCC). “I pulled it back to see what was there and it was a dead goat. It was horrendous.

“I had to ring council staff to come out to that and I have to say they’re not paid enough to do that kind of work. They in turn had to ring the knackery to deal with it - so there was extra expense to the taxpayer.”

From September 1 those found guilty of illegal dumping will be fined €250, an increase on the existing figure of €150.

However, Cllr Kavanagh described this increase as “derisory” and called for the fine to be increased to €1000 with jail time in the most severe cases.

“This increase doesn’t even take into account inflation. It’s not a deterrent,” he said. “Someone can dump a dead goat and, if they are caught, get away with a €250 fine. They should be locked up in jail.”

Having raised this issue in the chamber on numerous occasions in the past, Cllr Kavanagh said he did not see “an end to fly-tipping” and, despite CCTV cameras being erected at dumping black spots, contended that, “nobody ever seems to be caught for doing it”.

“Inflicting your rubbish on a community is the height of ignorance,” he concluded.

In May of this year the government announced plans to invest €3m in anti-dumping initiatives across all local authorities. More than 200 special projects nationwide are to receive funding this year through the government’s Anti-Dumping Initiative.

The annual programme allows local authorities to access funding for targeted actions including clean-up operations, CCTV monitoring, public awareness campaigns and enforcement measures.

Since the initiative was established in 2017, funded projects have facilitated the removal of more than 26,000 tonnes of waste nationwide.