Dr. Maria Snell:

To pick up on Ms Houlihan's points on questions 1 and 2, we view the derogation as a levelling of the playing field. While we can make comparisons with our colleagues in Europe, Ireland is unique in that it is an island. There are issues concerning scale. Really, it is about economy of scale.

We would very much welcome anaerobic digestion infrastructure in this country, but it comes back to scale and how it would be rolled out and managed. Notwithstanding that, there are solutions. It definitely could work and we definitely need to explore this.

Our colleagues in Europe have always been very supportive, even though the matter is not high on their agenda. They recognise our unique situation and production system and why derogation is required, namely because of the size of the country, the scale of operations and how we need the supports to have a viable business infrastructure. Also, our family-farm infrastructure is a factor. It is really important that we keep this context in mind, not just in respect of the derogation but also the wider environmental and economic impacts if the derogation were suddenly removed.

On the third question, I absolutely support all actors in the chain supporting the dissemination of knowledge. It is important that we hear many different perspectives along the food chain, not just the farming perspective. We really need a collaborative approach. We need to appreciate everybody's opinions and find a solution together. It is only by coming together that we can do that. Everybody has a role to play in an advisory capacity. We need diversity of knowledge because this is not a simple issue. It is very complex and there are many factors at play. It is really important, therefore, that the advisory service or network available to farmers be diverse in its thinking and supports so it can meet their requirements. We all want to deliver on water quality but there are many different elements in achieving that. There are physical, chemical and biological factors in addition to the overarching framework, including weather patterns. Certainly, everybody must come together. It is important that we bring it back to the local and community levels. Community, as well as industry, has a role to play. Within this, the processes and the farmer come into play.