Paul Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am sorry I was late and did not get to hear the presentation but for once I have my homework done and I had them read. I have two questions for both organisations to get their comments and I have two comments to make first. I compliment the Chair and the members of the committee for initiating this study and doing the report to enhance our chances as best we can to hold onto the derogation. This committee works well. We all leave our politics outside the door and we are all here for the common good. That is both sides of the table. All politicians from whatever party or none and the witnesses have the one agenda, which is to put together the best report we can to bring over to Brussels or wherever it needs to be taken to enhance our chances of holding onto the derogation. I was disappointed because politics were brought into it a little earlier and I want to put on record that we are all on the one side here and we should stay on the one side. We are where we are. We have a lot of regrets that we have got to where we are but if we are to spend the duration of this survey blaming one another for why we got to where we got, we will not get to where we need to go. It is important to say that because politics begin to come into it and if we do not leave it at the door and work together, we will not achieve what we need to.

Second, I agree with Mr. Gorman. We need to build this into our body of work. I have said this myself. Because of the lag time not being allowed, there will be an improvement in the water. The powers that be and the people it suits will spin that to the end of the earth and say, “Look what the reduction has achieved”. Then that will be used for a further reduction. We have to be ready to bat that away now because as sure as night follows day, that will happen. The improvement will happen because of the work that has been put in and the things that were in place but that were not given time to bed in. It will be spun that once we were brought down from 250 kg N/ha to 220 kg N/ha, there was improvement in the water. We need to be prepared to combat that one from the outset from here on.

Mr. Buckley touched on the idea that we are the only ones to have a derogation and we should not be privileged. We might be the only ones the next time. I agree. It should not be spun that way but we are and will be dependent on the other 26 countries to pass it. That is where it is agreed. The IFA and ICMSA both have sister groups in Europe and the witnesses are in Europe more than we are. Are they getting feedback? We are told that we would almost have to stand on our heads to convince our European counterparts to agree to this derogation and that we are asking them to vote for us to have an unfair advantage over them. I am interested to hear our guests’ feedback from Europe. They are members of larger groups, they have sister groups out there and they spend a lot of time there. What feedback are they getting from the people who will ultimately decide this? Is there animosity there and a feeling that they will not give the Irish an unfair advantage?

There was a lot of talk earlier about slurry storage capacity. I could have spread slurry since 30 January. That is a month and a day today. All I have still is paddy fields and it will be at least another month. How much storage would I have to have before I could get out on the field for the sake of getting out on it? Then I am not getting the best benefit from it because the growing season will be another month down the line from where we are. I do not want to seem as though I am trying to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut but I have been beating the drum for anaerobic digestion as a possible answer. If when my capacity is full, I could bring my slurry to an anaerobic digester, I would get back the by-product which in itself is a fertiliser and I can store it in a hay shed and use it when climatic growth conditions are at their best. I know that is a long way down the line but it is a conversation that needs to be had and it needs to be expedited. Rather than investing in extra slurry tanks, the money that would go in TAMS to ten farmers would go a long way into getting the idea up and running. Will our guests comment on where they see anaerobic digestion going and that type of argument?