Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister for her reply but how will she ensure the guttering item will be in place by 1 January 2007, which is the legal requirement, as she knows? That seems to be the big difficulty. For many small farmers rainwater management will be as big an issue, if not bigger, than slurry management. It is frustrating for farmers because they must pay for water supplies to their farms, while in some circumstances they will also have to pay for the dirty water coming off their farms. Will the Minister issue specifications for the storage of clean water? No such specifications are currently available. Technical advice is available within the Department and scientific advice is available from Teagasc, but no farmer can get specifications for the storage of clean water or rainwater, rather than having to pay for it through a meter.

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