Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I seek clarification in light of the fact that farmers are reading various things and there is much confusion. How long more will the regulations allow for the burning of the trimmings?

The Minister of State referred to alternatives. I was at a meeting of the Committee on Budgetary Oversight yesterday evening. One of the IFA representatives told us about a farmer in the south who was doing a good job with his cuttings. He was mulching them and creating fertiliser for the ground. He sold the surplus to his neighbouring farmers. It was great, except that he was told he had to cease, as it is was a commercial enterprise and it impacted on his grants and other such measures. In one way we are trying to do something and in another way we are trying to stop people from doing the same thing. There is significant confusion. The Department must clearly state what can be done and how long more the derogations will remain in place to allow burning to happen.

In the event that we include alternatives, how will the cost of doing so be recovered by farmers, who are at the pin of their collars trying to make a living?

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