Mr. Conor Mulvihill:

From our perspective, it is a nutrient. We are told it is the perfect circular economy to follow. We have organic fertiliser to help us cut back on chemical fertiliser. That costs money. We have a situation where the sword of Damocles is hanging over all these farm families. They are faced with a vista of the construction prices of slurry tanks going up. The average slurry tank, to my ignorant knowledge, costs €50,000 to €60,000. A farmer will not invest in that storage, which is a key water quality helper, to be able to put out vital nutrients at the right time, if the farmer thinks that the derogation will be lost after two years.

The most frustrating element is that there is scant evidence of a link between slurry storage and water quality improvement, which is the goal of all of us here. We need certainty. I use that word over and over again in the presentation. Farmers and industry, selfishly from our perspective, need certainty.