Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)

I wish to return to the questions I asked earlier. Will the Minister ensure storage specifications are made available regarding clean water storage? She is correct that rainwater is not part of the system at the moment, but if it happens to fall on the ground it becomes soiled water and becomes part of the specifications, which we wish to avoid this as much as possible. If the Minister is not prepared to provide grant aid for such storage facilities she should at least provide the specifications so that farmers, if they wish, can build them and ensure they have the capacity to meet requirements.

The vast majority of farmers are unaware that, as the law stands, they must have guttering replaced or installed on existing buildings to manage rainwater and clean water by 1 January. I do not know if the Department of Agriculture and Food will implement this or any other section of the legislation but farmers are concerned because they still do not know the specifications nor the implications of the rules and regulations.

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