Dr. Elaine McGoff:

Obviously, nitrate loss is very complex. It depends on slope, weather and soil type. However, the load is not coming out of nowhere. We also need to consider how much nitrogen farmers are putting onto the land. It interacts with all those features. We cannot disregard the load as being a vital driver in the amount of nitrate loss. As Mr. Burgess pointed out, it depends on a range of factors. The problem is that the nitrates action programme does not take a tailored approach; it is a one-size-fits-all approach. It does not look at different soil types, different weather or any of these factors. All the data coming from Teagasc and the EPA indicate that we need tailored site-specific approaches and solutions, but that is not what we are being given. All these fantastic data are being provided by the EPA and very useful modelling is being provided by Teagasc. However, from what I can see they are not being used in designing measures that we are seeing in the nitrates action programme or in the river basin management plan. The committee should highlight that we are not making the best use of all the fantastic data we have and we need to join the dots.