IRELAND South MEP Liadh Ní Riada this week outlined how she and her party colleagues plan to combat Irish Cement’s bid to burn waste materials at their plant in Castlemungret.
IRELAND South MEP Liadh Ní Riada this week outlined how she and her party colleagues plan to combat Irish Cement’s bid to burn waste materials at their plant in Castlemungret.The Sinn Féin politician outlined her action plan at a public meeting in the South Court Hotel this Monday, attended by over 200 people.
Chaired by Limerick TD Maurice Quinlivan with representations from councillors Malachy McCreesh and Seamus Browne, Ms Ní Riada said Sinn Féin would fight for the people of Limerick at a local, national and EU level.
“I believe there are none better placed to fight this fight than the good people of Limerick and of course I and my party colleague will help and facilitate as best we can,” she said.
“For myself, in practical terms this will mean providing advice and facilitating access at an EU level.
“I will use my networks in Europe to advocate on your behalf. Having a clean and safe environment to live in is one of the most fundamental human rights we enjoy. Being able to breathe without inhaling damaging and carcinogenic toxins is such an obvious and basic necessity of life.”
In order to help protect that right, Ní Riada said she would meet with the European Environment Agency and formally request that they examine the issue and the processes around it.
“I will speak with the Irish environmental representatives on the European Economic and Social Committee and explore how we may work together to raise this issue in that forum.”
Sinn Fein councillor for Newcastle West Municipal District, Seamus Browne vowed that the people of Limerick would see this through to the end and called on Irish Cement to drop their application for a licence to incinerate tyres and other ‘toxic’ materials.
“I am calling upon Irish Cement to do the honourable thing, to have some common decency and to protect the people of Limerick as well as its reputation,” he said.
“This is not an issue which is merely exclusive to either the County or City, as any emissions from the factory will have a range of up to thirty kilometres. One can only imagine the dangerous situation that will arise should the dust become contaminated by burning tyres and other toxic materials as is the plan,” he concluded.
by Alan Jacques
