Cause of dog illnesses at Belfast park remains a mystery as white powder found in the area is still unidentified

At the People and Communities Committee this week councillors were told that a white substance found at Cherryvale Park remains unidentified after police investigation, and vets treating the sick pets have not returned toxicology tests.

The council also confirmed no fertiliser had been used at the site in the past year, and states there is no evidence the illnesses were caused by materials used by the council. The council is still waiting for tests on samples of cut grass.

At the start of the year Belfast City Council staff cleared dumped grass clippings from the South Belfast park after a number of dogs became ill after visiting the area.

South Belfast MP Claire Hanna in a post on X/Twitter included a photo of a patch of grass, saying: “Cherryvale Dog Walkers: Working on this but please make sure your dog avoids this patch of cut grass / silage (along the trim trail!) as it appears something in it is making dogs ill.”

A council report states in early December 2023 “a request was made by a contractor for fencing work in Cherryvale to have the grass cut on the (GAA) pitch.”

It adds on Wednesday 20th December 2023 the GAA pitch was cut. The cuttings were disposed of within the wooded area due to the amount of grass.

It states: “On Saturday 23rd December 2023 council officers were notified by Councillor Brian Smyth and Councillor Séamas de Faoite that dogs had been sick after consuming something in the wooded area of Cherryvale Playing Fields.

“Council officers subsequently checked the wooded area and identified a white substance which was removed immediately. Officers notified PSNI who then took the white substance away for testing.”

It adds: “On Wednesday 27th December 2023 Belfast City Council officers received a complaint from a member of the public regarding the dumped grass in the wooded area in Cherryvale Playing Fields, claiming that their dog was sick having consumed some of the grass.

“A response was sent on Tuesday 2nd January. Officers requested further information from the dog owners’ vet on what may have caused her dog to become ill, and any subsequent toxicology tests. Officers have not received a response to date.”

In early January the council received two freedom of information requests asking for confirmation on the type of fertiliser that was used on the grass of the pitches at Cherryvale. The council confirmed in response that no fertiliser had been used on the grass for over one year, as the pitch was not being used for a full season and major repair work had been completed with re-turfing.

Also early in January the grass mound was removed by tractor and placed into skips which were moved off site. An operative manually removed all remaining small amounts of grass with a shovel.

The report states: “Council officers requested a test sample from grass cuttings and a ‘Control Of Substances Hazardous to Health’ sheet from the fertiliser supplier as a precaution. (We are) currently awaiting sample testing results from the laboratory, however it must be noted that the grass had not received any fertiliser treatment in over 12 months.

PSNI officers said that the white substance removed by them from the site was “not in a state suitable for testing” and therefore, the remains “unidentified.”

The council states: “Following the dog illness incident, we have increased the amount of signage advising dog owners to keep their dogs on leads. And whilst our officers make every effort to ensure the site is safe for all users, we cannot guarantee that all sites are free from inedible material. The best way to ensure pets remain safe is to keep them on a lead.”

It adds: “To date the council has received no evidence to suggest that the reported cases of dogs illness at Cherryvale park was related to any product used by or work practice employed by council operatives.