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| Ex-Ulster Farmers Union boss Graham Furey fined for dumping | Ex-Ulster Farmers Union boss Graham Furey fined for dumping |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| A former president of the Ulster Farmers Union, Graham Furey, has been fined £20,000 after admitting illegal dumping. | A former president of the Ulster Farmers Union, Graham Furey, has been fined £20,000 after admitting illegal dumping. |
| Mr Furey, 54, of Comber Road in Downpatrick, admitted four waste management charges. | |
| The offences relating to 1,900 tonnes of waste took place between 2003 and 2008. | |
| Mr Furey faces a potential bill of nearly £200,000 if he is compelled to remove the waste from his property. | |
| A co-accused, 52-year-old Elvis Kirk of Crossgar Road in Killyleagh, was fined £1,500. | A co-accused, 52-year-old Elvis Kirk of Crossgar Road in Killyleagh, was fined £1,500. |
| The court heard that Mr Kirk had dumped waste from the demolition of the former Downe Hospital at Mr Furey's property half a mile away. | |
| When the Northern Ireland Environment Agency inspected the site in 2008, they found hospital lockers along with construction and demolition waste on a grassed-over bank. | |
| They also found hazardous oil and tar, along with electrical wiring, radiators and treated wood. | |
| The judge, Mr David Smyth, said that as a former president of the Ulster Farmers Union, Mr Furey should have been aware that he needed a licence for such waste and should have known better. | |
| When asked for a reaction afterwards, Mr Furey said "no comment". | |
| A Friends of the Earth spokesman attending the hearing said he was pleased with the judgement and that it sent out a strong deterrent to others. |