Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. I have two minutes and 50 seconds to speak. On the nitrates statement, farmers who want to export slurry and spread on the land have 14 days to actually do it. They are driving up a motorway at the moment because they do not have the information because the nitrates statement has not been published yet. Is that very unfair on the farming community? We have a spreading date set for the end of this month. No nitrates statement has been given out yet to the farming community and farmers who want to export slurry and spread it cannot do it. For the love of God, how can they operate? They cannot.

There is an inch of rain after falling in Minane Bridge today. They needed to have the nitrates statement two months ago. Two years ago, it came out in July. I realise there was slippage last year. This is basic stuff. We cannot farm unless we get help. That is in the Minister's remit, not mine. I am looking up the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation, ICBF, to see what the story is and it cannot calculate it off the back of this because it does not have my landmass. Does the Minister not believe we need to do more regarding informing farmers when it comes to the nitrates statement? They are being given 14 days and there is an inch of rain tonight. We cannot do it. Can the Minister bring clarity to the absolute mess of the nitrates statement?