Ballymoney farmer fined after slurry pollution caused fish kill in two rivers

A Ballymoney farmer has been fined £3,000 after slurry escaped from a storage tank and polluted waterways for approximately nine kilometres, causing a fish kill.

John Stewart, 35, of Boyland Road, pleaded guilty at Coleraine Magistrates’ Court to an offence under the Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999. He was also ordered to pay a £15 offender levy and agreed to repay £1,929.80 in fish kill remediation costs.

Slurry reached the Greenshields River

According to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), Northern Ireland Environment Agency inspectors responded to a report of significant pollution on 3 February 2025.

They found that a valve on an above-ground slurry storage tank had failed. Slurry travelled through a cattle shed, across the farmyard and neighbouring fields, and entered the Greenshields River at several points.

Stewart and his family took action to stop the release and limit its impact. Despite those efforts, inspectors confirmed that the pollution reached approximately nine kilometres downstream, affecting both the Greenshields River and the Ballymoney River.

Inspectors observed significant pollution and confirmed that the incident caused a fish kill. Analysis of a statutory water sample found poisonous, noxious or polluting matter with the potential to harm aquatic life.

Reporting water pollution

Water pollution incidents can be reported to the 24-hour NIEA hotline on 0800 80 70 60. Less urgent concerns can be reported through DAERA’s online environmental incident reporting system.

Source: DAERA news release issued 25 September 2026.