Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am receiving warnings that we have gone well over time, so we will have the farming organisations respond to the Deputy's questions in writing, if that is okay.

The nitrates action programme is an important issue for all farmers and the agrifood industry as a whole. It could have an economic impact and threaten farmers' viability. Many points have been raised by the organisations, one of which had to do with solids versus volume in terms of milk production and the calves that are produced by dairy cows, which are an essential product for the beef industry. There needs to be clarification on this issue.

Extra storage will be required for dirty water. What nutrients are in that dirty water and what impact could that have on spreading on a 12-month basis? What is the scientific basis for the dates for slurry spreading? Does Teagasc have evidence of growth rates under the current spreading periods? Will there be grants for farmers who are short of storage space or who need to engage in low-emission slurry spreading? There is a need for investment in modern slurry spreading technology to make it viable. This is a matter on which there has not been enough focus in recent years. There is significant technology available. We are considerably behind the rest of Europe in how we deal with slurry on farms. It is not economically viable currently, but that will not be an excuse in future. Modern technology can be used as a tool in tackling climate change and must be embraced.

I thank the four organisations present - the Irish Farmers' Association, the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association, the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association and Macra na Feirme - for giving their views. We will discuss this issue in a private meeting and decide how we will proceed in order to make sure the points that were made here this morning are heard in the appropriate areas, that the views of farmers are heard and that the nitrates action programme is fair and achieves the results that we all want to achieve. We should improve our water quality but maintain a sustainable and viable agrifood industry as well. I propose that we have a private meeting about this at 4 p.m. tomorrow.