Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein)
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When officials from the Department were last before us, I asked whether we knew which types of operator were not compliant with the European Union (Good Agriculture Practice for Protection of Waters) Regulations, or GAP regulations, and whether a line had been drawn in terms of how high-risk areas were targeted to ensure that there was no undue imposition on farms. I was told that, regarding compliances and inspections, we did not have the data on the types of issue that were arising. Is this not a potential problem, given the lack of data on the types of operator that are non-compliant with these regulations? A lack of specific data can lead to misrepresentation of farms' compliance in general and limits the progress being made on tackling breaches of the regulations. Clearly, a distinction must be made between the few operators that may be flouting the regulations deliberately and the majority of operators who are doing their level best to comply and to contribute to the protection of our environment.

I ask the Minister to outline the progress that is being made between the EPA and the local authorities through the new information system, NIS, network in improving the collection of this type of data.