Mr. John Enright:

I am concerned that there is an incorrect interpretation of what it means for a farmer to farm under a derogation. The facts are that farmers farming under a derogation are probably the best users of nutrients in this country from the point of view of fertilizers and lime. They are technically efficient and have very good facilities. They are the most inspected farmers out there. There is an impression that a derogation farmer is always a large farmer. Many members of our organisation are farmers with a derogation who milk 40, 60 or 70 cows on full-time family farms. They need a derogation to be economically viable. If we lost that derogation tomorrow morning, the economic viability of those farms would be seriously threatened. It is important to say that the science shows that I can farm environmentally and sustainably under derogation conditions. That is important and we should not forget that point.