Pierce Brosnan is lending his voice to the "Save the Boyne" group, which is protesting the insertion of plant waste into the River Boyne, which provides 70k people with drinking water.
Brosnan, a native of Navan, has appealed to Meath County Council to stop plans for the installation of a waste water pipe into the River Boyne. A decision on planning permission for the water waste pipe was expected yesterday, September 19.
On the day a decision on the installation of the water waste pipe was to be delivered, the "Save the Boyne" group uploaded a video to social media of Brosnan making an impassioned plea over the controversial plan.
The proposed plan would see a 4.47 mile (7.2km) pipeline that would pump 400k liters of treated wastewater into the River Boyne. This waste would come from the nearby Dawn Meat plan at the Cotton Mills, in Slane.
In the video, Brosan pleads for the protection of the Boyne River, which he "grew up on".
He says: "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."
Just a few miles to the east of the planned pipeline, on the River Boyne lies Brú na Bóinne, the ancient site which is home to neolithic tombs such as Newgrange, Knowth, and Dowth.
Brosnan continues, "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."
In 2021, Meath Council Council granted permission for the waste pipeline. Over 400 submissions were made in opposition to the planning.
In July of this year, about 200 people walked from Navan to Drogheda on the Save the Boyne group's ‘Go with the Flow’ walk to raise awareness of the ongoing appeal to an Bord Pleanála.
The Meath Chronicle reported the following statement from Dawn Meats: "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 licensing 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."
No decision on the waste pipeline has been delivered.
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