The Environmental Protection Agency says the number of planned farm inspections carried out by Kerry County Council over the past few years has been "inadequate".
The EPA's Office of Public Enforcement has completed a Local Authority Enforcement Audit Report of Kerry County Council.
In 2021, the EPA introduced a framework to encourage Ireland's 31 local authorities achieve nationally set environmental priorities.
Local authorities are expected to meet all of the National Enforcement Priorities completely by the end of the 2022 to 2024 three-year cycle.
The EPA's report evaluating Kerry County Council graded its work as ‘limited’ in 5 percent and ‘moderate’ in 30 percent of the priority areas for 2022.
A progress report for 2023 is currently being reviewed.
The report found no pre-planned Good Agricultural Practices Regulations inspections were carried out by Kerry County Council in 2022, describing this as "inadequate when compared to the number of water-bodies at risk from agricultural pressures in the county".
Kerry County Council told EPA inspectors a lack of resources impacted the council's performance of its statutory environmental protection functions in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
The Council said some roles have been filled, however vacancies remain in agriculture and water services.
The EPA gave the council two months to detail the remedial actions planned.
