John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I am glad to have the opportunity to speak on the farm waste management issue and the urgent need for an extension to the 31 December deadline for the completion of works. I compliment Deputy Creed for keeping this matter on the agenda over recent months on behalf of the farming community.

There is a sense of panic and fear among farmers who face the impossible task of trying to complete the approved work before 31 December. The fault for this lies with the Government, which put in place a system that was clearly unable to cope with the volume of applications. Although they received an extended deadline, farmers could not take advantage of it because the processing of applications took place at a snail's pace in the Department. The process was delayed even further as a result of planning difficulties in many cases. Any hope the thousands of farmers had of finishing the work on time ended with the summer rainfall. Ireland had its wettest summer in 70 years, and this compounded the problem. The Government's mismanagement of the scheme has landed farmers in this mess.

The Minister has indicated on numerous occasions in recent months that he is unwilling to seek a further extension from Europe. What is the logic of this stance, when it is obvious a good case can be made about the extraordinary circumstances? How is it that the bankers could be bailed out by the House with billions of euro but the farmers cannot be given an extra six or nine months to complete this work? Is it any wonder the public has become cynical?

There is a win-win situation here. The construction industry, which has been devastated in the last 12 months, could provide many jobs in the short term if there was an extension of the deadline for the scheme. If the Minister seeks an extension, he can support farmers and remove the risk to jobs in construction in one fell swoop. In recent weeks, some Government Deputies have made comments which effectively support the motion before the House. I presume they will vote accordingly.

The second issue with the farm waste management scheme is the delays being experienced by farmers who have already completed their projects. They have loans from banks and other lending institutions and are being put under pressure to fulfil the commitments they made on the assumption they would get their money from the Department when the works were complete. Everything is in order within the Department but the cheques are not being signed.

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