Luke Flanagan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his presentation. I did not hear all of it, but I have read through it.

The issue of spreading slurry and farming based on the calendar was raised, as were the issues of water quality and producing our own fuel in a sustainable way. What talks does the Minister envisage he will have with his European partners on a technology to deal with these three issues together, that is, anaerobic digestion? One of the major problems with spreading slurry is its density. When it rains, it washes into watercourses, including rivers and groundwater. After processing this slurry through the use of anaerobic digestion, one ends up with a product that one could spread on the land without fear of it being washed into the watercourses. It is the equivalent of fixed nitrogen in artificial fertiliser. One also has the fantastic benefit of producing biogas. Years ago I visited Callan on the Kilkenny and Tipperary border, with which the Minister is probably familiar.