Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)

I refer to legislation pertaining to the nitrates directive. There is a crisis in rural Ireland at present whereby people in the farming sector are totally prohibited from spreading slurry, which is full to capacity in their farmyards. This is an emergency that I have drawn to the attention of the Ministers in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, as well as to the office of the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan. I seek some flexibility in this regard. In County Kerry in particular, we experience twice as much rainfall as elsewhere and farmers are on tenterhooks. I ask the Tánaiste to speak to the Ministers on this matter. I was informed by the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy McEntee, that some flexibility also should be shown by the environmental departments of county councils. I ask that departmental officials would ease off a little and perhaps arrive at a mechanism of agreement to facilitate those farmers. This issue is causing them terrible problems and I ask that some leeway be given.

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