Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

I accept the importance of the issues raised by Deputy Connolly. Deputy Crawford, Deputy Connolly and I are well aware of the different issues involved for the intensive industries in Cavan and Monaghan. We have established a working group on intensive livestock enterprises, which was specifically set up to consider issues facing the intensive livestock sector in the context of the nitrates regulations. The group recently met and includes representatives from the Irish Association of Pigmeat Processors, the Irish Poultry Processors Association, the IFA, Teagasc, the Environmental Protection Agency and representatives from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

Ireland and five other member states in the EU have received a derogation, but no country received a derogation on the importation of pig slurry and chicken litter. We must develop technology to deal with many of these waste matters. We have established a grants scheme to enable pilot projects to be established so that people can develop the technology that will deal with the disposal of this waste. I arranged for farmers — small and large-scale pig producers and poultry farmers — to meet with Department officials and specialists in the area. These meetings have been about trying to develop technology to deal with these particular waste problems. Substantial funds are available within the Department to assist in the development of this technology. From speaking to individual farmers involved in both industries, I know that they are not handing over the problem to other people. They want to be involved themselves in developing the systems that will deal with the waste on the farm or in central locations.

We have also provided money from the stimulus fund for a research project by Teagasc which involves the assessment of a solid-liquid separation system for pig manure and the influence of pig diet on the composition of solid and liquid fractions. A great amount of work is currently being done to devise systems so that we will have the proper technology in place to deal with the disposal of waste from these enterprises before the transition period ends. It was a major concession to obtain a transition period until 2011, because when we speak of waste disposal from pig manure, it is phosphorous rather than nitrogen that is the major problem. We secured a transition arrangement for phosphorous. Farmers can still take in pig manure and use up to 170 kg of nitrogen, without any regard to the phosphorous levels.

Phosphorous levels were the major concern of the pig farmers, rather than nitrogen. However, no other country has managed to get this particular aspect of a derogation. We put an enormous effort into seeking this derogation. We included in the regional derogation application this particular subject which was the focus of bilateral meetings. It was also raised by officials from the Departments of Agriculture and Food and the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, and Teagasc, in their meetings and presentations to the Nitrates Committee of the European Union. Being realistic, I can only foresee these issues being removed from the agenda when the proper technology is developed and in place to deal with these particular waste problems.

In the short time that I have been in the Department of Agriculture and Food, the Minister, Deputy Coughlan, has been totally supportive of our having adequate financial resources to assist people to develop the technology to deal with these waste problems and that is the only successful route we can take.

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