Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

I agree the four counties with the 22-week requirement have a problem. In counties Monaghan and Cavan there are the additional issues of pigs and poultry. I have had an opportunity, with the Minister of State, Deputy Brendan Smith, to meet the Border regional authority, the producers and the national representatives. I have a major concern about this. I agree there is a special case to be made for those four counties. The capacity problem is causing great concern but we should be able to deal with it. My concern is that for some poultry producers the problem is not capacity, given that many of them have the 26 weeks, but access to spread lands. That is a major concern and we are examining innovative ways of dealing with this organic waste. There is a strong case to be made for the producers in those four counties.

I can only offer a guess on when finality will be brought to this issue but I believe it will be this month. From a practical point of view, if we are to implement something, we must have the time to do so, no matter what happens. If capacity must be increased, planning permission will be required and funding and building arrangements will have to be made. There are many things to be done and that takes time. Although people are anxious and some are overly anxious, we must keep steady heads. We will certainly look more favourably at the farmers with the 22-week requirement although we will not neglect other producers who also have a difficulty.

The 20 livestock units issue is a European matter. It is unfortunate. There is a view that such holdings are not viable farming enterprises. The directive has nothing to do with that; it is about water quality. It does not matter if one has two cows or 200, this is a water quality issue. I will put forward the view to the Commission that we must address the water quality issues, not the income viability of farming enterprises.

See this speech in context