John Carty (Mayo, Fianna Fail)

I wish to share time with Deputy Johnny Brady.

The Minister mentioned REPS in her speech and I congratulate her and her officials for making such an excellent scheme available to farmers. Mayo has one of the highest participation levels in the country. More than 5,500 farmers are in REPS and last year their payments came to more than €32 million. It is vital to safeguard the future of REPS for all farmers. I wish the Minister every success in her negotiations with the Commission on REPS 4. It is important that those negotiations are not overshadowed by difficulties with the nitrates directive.

I welcome that the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Roche, has put aspects of the nitrates regulations on hold until Teagasc can review its scientific advice. It is important these regulations, which will have an impact on so many farmers, are based on the best scientific advice we can get but, whatever may come out of this temporary deferral of part of the regulations, the nitrates directive is in place and we have to live with it. Like most Members, I have been approached by many farmers who are worried about what it may mean for them and there is a great deal of uncertainty. It is important that farmers should be given clear information as soon as possible, and I welcome the Minister's comments about information meetings and a simple handbook for farmers. When farmers know where they stand, they can plan for the future but the uncertainty worries them.

I refer to the issue of the nitrates regulations as they affect REPS farmers. The Minister stated recently that REPS farmers and planners can carry on as before as far as nutrient management is concerned. As far as other aspects of the nitrates regulations are concerned, they will have some impact on a certain number of REPS farmers. The closed periods for spreading may be slightly longer than they have in their REPS contracts, and they may need to get extra storage capacity. Based on the inquiries I have made, however, I am satisfied the impact will be minor. As far as extra storage capacity is concerned. REPS farmers have the same time as every other farmer to meet the new requirements — up to the end of 2008 — and they can also take advantage of the improved grants under the farm waste management scheme.

The nitrates regulations will also require farmers to keep records, but REPS farmers are already well used to keeping records. The only extra item they will now have to record is the amount of concentrates that they feed to grazing livestock. On the issue of record keeping, it is good news that the Department will use CMMS to give every farmer a statement of the amount of organic nitrogen that his or her cattle are producing.

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