Mr. Billy Cronin:

Nutrients from slurry are worth €43 per cow. As Mr. Mulvihill said, we can reduce the chemical fertiliser and get the extra value, so it is free to the farmer. He can utilise the phosphate, potassium and nitrogen in that too. It is important that we use that and spread it on the land that is appropriate to take it. Slurry is one element of nutrients. If we lose the derogation, it will force farming indoors. That is the system that we are heading for because it is impossible to graze the platform if there is less stock in the ground. As Mr. Sheahan said, the average farm has 93 cows. If that goes to 70 cows and a farmer growing 12 to 14 tonnes of dry matter per hectare, that will not be possible to graze during the season, so it will force farmers indoors to keep the stock level and maintain the 93.