Mr. Jer Bergin:

I will address three questions and I will ask my colleague to address the nitrates question.

Deputy Cowen referred to the CAP negotiations. Pillar 1 contains significant environmental measures in terms of the greening of the policy and this will have an impact particularly on grassland and more so on the arable sector, which will play out over the next while and it will be difficult. Full co-financing by the Government will be essential to making Pillar 2 work effectively on the ground. This pillar will be the source of any environmental scheme to replace REPS and so on and it will be essential side by side with production. It will also be essential in terms of the farm investment schemes and efficiency will be key to those. Renewable technologies is also an important area. There was a rainwater harvesting scheme under the previous agreement, which was not a success. However, funding must be made available and the policies must be got right. We are pushing an open door with farmers if we do that in terms of both the environmental and economic benefits from this pillar.

Deputy Corcoran Kennedy asked about forestry investment. We have witnessed the value of it here today. This will have to be Government-driven. We need to get back at least to the initial targets set of 15,000 hectares per annum in the farm forestry sector. The funding required to do that is not available and, therefore, more national funding will be required to achieve that but there will be huge benefits in doing so, which we discussed earlier. As part of any stimulus package the Government might be thinking about, whether it is through NewERA or the NPRF, investment in the forestry and renewables sectors could pay off handsomely in both directions.

Deputy Coonan questioned the slant in the debate. I am a firm believer in science and what the scientific advice says. Agricultural output should be measured both in production and emissions and that is why we have argued all along that the only way to move this debate along is to put food security at the centre of the debate. That is where policy internationally is going and that should not be damaged or constrained in any way. The measurement of emissions should be on a per unit of production basis in order that like can be compared with like. It does not matter where one comes from then. One can stand over the figures and argue then.

Mr. Kingston will address the nitrates question.