Paul Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Kerrane touched on an area that is a gripe of mine. I am aware that you cannot test in advance but we are a year behind, at least, with the testing. It is a year since measures, restrictions or actions were introduced. The results are 2022 results. Last year, we brought in many restrictions and actions and changed the artificial manure regulations. The war worked in the environment's favour last year, in that the amount of fertiliser used was greatly reduced because of its price. Despite this, decisions will be made in the immediate term and short term and no one will know until next year whether the actions will have resulted in an improvement. Do the delegates know what I mean? I am referring to the fact that we are a year behind. Hearing that there is no change is very frustrating for the farming community, who are buying into this, using low emission slurry spreading, LESS, cutting back on their use of artificial fertiliser, fencing off drains and doing everything they are asked to do. It is as if they are being told that their rates might be reduced to 220 kg of nitrogen per hectare or 170 kg of nitrogen per hectare in the short term because of last year's results and that what they have done in the meantime has been a waste of time and money because they are not going to get credit for it or are going to be punished irrespective of whether the required results will have been achieved. What has been done could achieve the results but we will not know until we get the water results for 2023 or 2024, at which we will be back at 220 kg of nitrogen per hectare or maybe even 170 kg of nitrogen per hectare. How do we make the case? How do we make the argument?