Karrie Williams, STAR Writer
Western Bureau:

A Westmoreland pig farmer who is charged with breaches of the environmental act appeared in the Savanna-la-Mar Resident Magistrate's Court on Tuesday to answer the charge against him.

The accused man, Sheldon Williams of Coffee Ground in the parish, was issued a summons on July 25 by members of the Island Special Constabulary Force (ISCF) after it was discovered that he was dumping the faeces of his pigs in the Robinson River, which flows through the community.

According to Jonathan Boyd, the ISCF commanding officer for Westmoreland, his office had been getting complaints from residents of Coffee Ground that Williams' farm was polluting the river, which the community uses for domestic purposes.

"When officers visited the community, they observed faeces in the river ... . Upon further investigation, they discovered it was coming from Williams' farm," said Boyd. "Williams was charged and issued with a summons to attend court under the National Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA) and Public Health Act," he said.

"The case was initially set for mention on Wednesday, July 31. However, it was postponed until Tuesday when it again came up for mention, A new trial date was set for November 19," he added.

While he is awaiting the new trial date, Boyd said that members of his team will be going back to Coffee Ground to check if the river is still being polluted. He used the opportunity to urge farmers in the parish to act responsibly in their treatment of environmental matters.

"The case against Williams is part of our ongoing efforts to prevent persons from harming the environment," said Boyd. "Farmers are welcome to produce more, but in so doing they also have a responsibility to protect the environment. Once they fail to do so, we will act."