County Council passes motion calling for a full audit of every quarry in Donegal

Donegal County Council has backed a motion from Cllr Joy Beard of 100% Redress Party calling for the National Building Control and Market Surveillance Office, with the support of the Geological Survey of Ireland, to carry out a new, full and transparent audit of every quarry in the county. 

The motion was brought forward in light of recent peer-reviewed and government-funded research, commissioned by the Department of Housing, which has confirmed that pyrrhotite and framboidal pyrite are the primary causes of concrete failure in Ireland, through the mechanism of an internal sulphate attack. 

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Cllr Beard said:  “The last Donegal audit in 2021/22 was limited. Only three quarries had aggregates tested in detail, results were anonymised, and harmful minerals such as pyrrhotite, framboidal pyrite and other deleterious materials were excluded from scope. Since then, the science has moved on and it is now undeniable that internal sulphate attack is the cause of our crumbling homes. That makes a full in-depth audit both appropriate and urgent.” 

Councillor Beard wants the audit to cover comprehensive testing of every quarry in Donegal; random sampling from multiple sections of the quarry face, not just stockpiles; targeted testing for pyrrhotite, framboidal pyrite and other deleterious materials; publication of quarry-by-quarry results to ensure transparency. 

Cllr Beard added:  “This is not about punishing the industry. I am confident that all stakeholders, including the quarries themselves, will welcome a thorough, science-based audit, because it is the only way to restore confidence in the supply chain. Families and communities across Donegal deserve to know that the materials being used in their homes today are safe, durable and fully compliant. We must never allow history to repeat itself.”