Mr. Barry Larkin:

On the question of fertilisers, there are two parts to that. To answer the Deputy's question on whether we have done an analysis of costs, the simple answer is "No." However, there are reasons for that and we have tried. The Deputy gave an example of going to his local store that sells milk, bread and butter as well as fertiliser, a few stakes and a bit of wire in the back. As I said earlier, if any one of those things are taken out, such as animal health, fertiliser or hardware, the business may become unviable. The costs incurred will have a greater impact on that type of business, as the Deputy said, rather than on a business that sells 10,000 or 20,000 tonnes.

There are reasons we have not done a cost analysis. While we might try, we are unsure about the application programming interface, API, system that links the Department's IT system with the agri-retailers' IT system. We have been given no direction on that as of yet. In my view, it is overly comprehensive and incurs costs on these businesses. I have spoken to a couple of IT people who maintain that there are ways in which a report can be generated by my IT system that would be sufficient for the Department's IT system to withdraw the data. It is impossible to do a cost analysis when we do not know what the link between the API systems entails. By way of an example, the multi-species sward scheme was introduced this year. While it worked well, and we are all happy to be a part of it, the administrative burden was put on the trade rather than taken up by the Department, which has caused huge problems. The benefit of the scheme was given out on the day of purchase, yet there are still merchants throughout the country waiting for payment four months later. It is those types of problems that will arise. There are administrative, training, and IT costs, but it is hard to quantify what is required in that regard.

In terms of the cross-Border market, not much different from animal health legislation, there is free movement of goods across the Border. If I were a farmer in Cork who wants a load of fertiliser, all I have to do is pick up the phone and there will be a load of fertiliser in my yard within days, but that fertiliser does not have to be recorded. That has been happening over recent years with cross-Border trade in the Border counties. As I said, it is happening more frequently in commercialisation. However, where guys are pushing boundaries there will be a shortfall in data. Essentially, the guys pushing boundaries may be the ones who are causing the problems with water quality and they are the ones who will continue to purchase fertiliser from across the Border. If we could have an all-Ireland approach, while it may be difficult, it would be better, or we could put the onus back on the farmer to declare his fertiliser purchases on an ongoing basis rather than having the merchant do it.