Mr. Se?n Laffey:

We absolutely test for pesticides and we are very aware of them. The Senator is quite correct. It is not just pesticides; it is pesticides and herbicides. We have looked at international best practice regarding these types of chemical compounds. They are very useful for agriculture. In fact, a lot of agricultural yield relies on the use of these particular compounds. We have found that catchment management, and Dr. Minihan referred to it directly, is the best way of controlling the use of pesticides and herbicides. The Senator is quite correct in calling out that they are a health issue, but in excess amounts pesticides and herbicides also have an impact on, and are very detrimental to, aquatic life and the environment.

Ultimately, we have to look after the environment because it looks after us. We are working with a number of bodies, including the EPA, Teagasc, local authorities, the local authority waters programme, LAWPRO, etc. We are running catchment management programmes with local farmers to try to come up with new methods of applying herbicides and pesticides, keeping them away from streams, and making sure they are employed at the right time of year during the right weather conditions etc. We are part of a project jointly funded by ourselves, Northern Ireland and the European Union, Project SWELL, which is a cross-Border initiative looking at the use of pesticides and herbicides around Lough Erne.

There was a 65% reduction through working with and educating farmers and making sure herbicides were applied in the correct way. Ultimately, if they cannot be got to a level that is consistent with best practice and public health guidelines – we are not there yet – we will have to consider what we call an end-of-pipe solution, which means taking the chemicals out at the treatment plant. However, we believe that catchment management is the best approach overall at the moment.