Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)

They said this up and down the country. Like everybody else I have only a couple of minutes, so I can touch only the high spots.

My experience in this regard is that the driver of a lorry had to come back to my farm three times in the last two months with a delivery of concrete because the deluge of rain was such that he could not operate. A farmer outside Athenry dug his pit a few months ago but he buried the Hi-Mac machine when he was back-filling the soil and it took four days to pull it out. It has been raining since then. Can the Minister imagine how difficult it will be for that farmer to have the work completed by 31 December?

It is about time some common sense was brought into this debate. The Green Party Deputies spoke about the nitrates directive. This scheme is linked to that directive, which is why farmers wanted to comply. The 10,000 farmers the Government will now exclude from the scheme also wanted to comply. How has the Government treated them? Farmers are finding it hard enough to find the money to fund 40% of the work but if they must find 100% of the cost of building those tanks next year they will not be able to afford it and the work will not be done.

Politics is the art of the possible. That is what we are all here for. The western drainage scheme was extended twice or three times. The farm improvement scheme was also extended with no problems whatsoever. What is wrong this time? I am surprised at the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Deputy Brendan Smith, because I expected more of him. I cannot understand why he does not make a bee line for Brussels and make a case for the extension of this scheme. Is it the case that we have no friends in Europe anymore? Is the Minister afraid to go to Brussels because he knows he will be refused?

The Minister should be ashamed, as should every Fianna Fáil backbench Deputy, who came in here and backed the Minister. I hope the IFA delegation that is here has taken note of that because they have heard of the problems all over the country.

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