South Belfast community garden poisoning causes estimated £6,000–£8,000 damage

Food grown to support local people has been contaminated in a weedkiller attack at a south Belfast community garden, where damage is estimated at £6,000 to £8,000. Police are investigating after herbicide was used on plants and growing beds, and water infrastructure was broken at Friends of the Field, on Stranmillis Embankment, Belfast Live reports.

Belfast City Council, which owns the land at Botanic Meadow, gave the damage estimate. Queen’s University, which has a neighbouring plot, is examining whether the poisoning has caused lasting damage.

Green Party councillor Áine Groogan said fresh produce intended to help people locally had been contaminated, plants had suffered chemical burns and equipment had been damaged.

Groogan said: “This was a deliberate act of vandalism that I honestly can’t even get my head around.”

Fundraising and recovery plans

Friends of the Field members intend to launch a GoFundMe appeal to cover the damage. Other community gardens across Belfast have offered help with the affected vegetation.

Despite the attack, the group went ahead with a sold-out Pumpkin Patch event. Members then reported further damage on Wednesday 21 October: a lock on a side door appeared to have been broken with a hammer.

Groogan and fellow Green Party councillor Brian Smyth visited the garden after the damage was reported. Smyth, the party’s group leader at Belfast City Council, said they were working with the council on a recovery plan.

Police received a report the day after the initial attack and have made a number of enquiries. Anyone with information is asked to call 101 or use the police witness appeal form.

Source: Belfast Live