Donegal county councillors have backed a call for prospecting licences to be banned from the National Development Plan.
The impact of gold prospecting was raised at this month’s council meeting, where councillors agreed that Donegal could not “end up to be the next Sperrins”.
Cllr Michael McMahon said the issue was very important to people in Donegal.
“You only have to look at the Sperrins to see the serious implications of prospecting,” he said.
“They have trampled over the people. They have dug up land and they are trying to do the same now to get a license in Leitrim.
“It’s a dangerous situation from the point of view of tourism, living, farming and environment.”
Cllr McMahon said it beggars belief that Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan would consider giving contractors licences “because their track record in North America and Canada is unbelievable. The reason why they are coming here is because they can’t get any more in Canada and North America, because of the way they left farms, the way they treated people and the way they treated the environment.”
“The same would happen in our country,” Cllr McMahon warned.
“We are spending a lot of money on tourism and the environment but these people have no respect for that.”
Cllr McMahon’s asked that Donegal’s National Development Plan would make no provisions for the prospecting of minerals.
Parts of Inishowen and the Bluestacks in south Donegal have been earmarked for gold prospecting in recent years.
Cllr Jack Murray said Donegal County Council needs to be proactive on opposing such operations.
“We need to make sure Donegal isn’t vulnerable to this type of activity in the future, and we don’t end up to be the next Sperrins,” he said.
“We are custodians of this county while we are here so we need to make sure we leave it in as good a shape as we can
Of all the people to issue these licenses, it’s terrible the leader of the Green party would allow this to happen is terrible. The pollution of our air, water and environment is a practice we don’t want to see here.”
Donegal County Council noted the motion and advised members that while the licensing of prospecting for minerals remains the function of the Minister for the Environment, any development in the county must be subject to a planning application, which is another opportunity for members of the public to make submissions and would be subject to consideration by the council.
