Pierce Brosnan makes plea to save the boyne in powerful video
Navan movie star Pierce Brosnan had made a powerful video appealing to Meath County Council to step in and stop plans for the installation of a waste water pipe into the River Boyne ahead of An Bord Pleanála's decision due today.
The "Save the Boyne" Group uploaded the clip on Facebook in what shows the Bond star wading in on the controversial planning application that would see the installation of a 7.2 kilometre pipeline that would pump 400,000 litres of treated waste water daily into the River Boyne from the Dawn Meats plant at the Cotton Mills.
Making a passionate plea to protect the historic river on which he "grew up on," Brosnan said:
"Water is our most precious natural resource. 70,000 people get their drinking water from the River Boyne. The River Boyne is also one of the most important sites for salmon in Eastern Ireland and home to rare plant species.
"I grew up on the banks of the River Boyne where it meets the Blackwater, it is one of the most beautiful rivers in Ireland and should be nurtured and cultivated as a sentient being of history, beauty and lifeforce of nature.
"As I say, water is our most precious natural resource. Water levels are historically low and our rivers and streams cannot handle excess waste in this time.
"Waste from the Dawn Meats abattoir should not be discharged into the River Boyne. I appeal to the Meath County Council to protect the River Boyne and their community."
Last year Meath County Council granted permission for the pipeline, a decision that drew huge opposition locally with more than 400 submissions made on the plans and appeal to an Bord Pleanála on going.
Around two hundred people braved the elements walking from Navan to Drogheda in July on the Save the Boyne group's ‘Go with the Flow’ walk to raise awareness of the ongoing appeal to an Bord Pleanála.
Watch here
In a statement Dawn Meats said:
"We take concerns raised by the local community very seriously, but believe the facts show that our €5m investment plan will deliver safer water treatment to best practice environmental standards.
"Third-party studies, including a Natura Impact Statement, have assessed no negative impact on the River Boyne or surrounding habitats. The new facility will be subject to regular monitoring by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in accordance with licencing requirements.
"This major investment at the site should be supported because it will:
"Treat the water to a much higher standard than is currently possible, comfortably exceeding all required EPA standards
"Treat the water at source rather than the current arrangement of trucking it to be treated off-site by third parties
"Reduce traffic volumes, the associated carbon emissions and the risk of spillage in the event of a collision that transfer for offsite treatment brings."