Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the debate on this because the debate to date has been unequal, unfair and, indeed, targeted at rural dwellers, including farmers. They want to play their part. There have been very minor incidents and it is right that these be investigated. The causes of pollution are many. A large proportion of the blame is attributable to many decades of Government policy failure. Farmers have done what the markets and policymakers have asked of them but are ever more aware of the need to do things differently. Some young farmers have invested millions in state-of-the-art slurry operations, good animal husbandry and everything else. It is time that we took the monkey off their backs and allowed them to do what they are doing without demonising them. They are aware of the need. Increasingly, they embrace no-till farming, cover cropping and other methods that help the environment. They deserve support and not to be blamed.

The same applies to septic tanks, which matter has raised its head again today. Water treatment plants are an issue. I could name 30 in Tipperary. Villages like mine in Newcastle have no treatment plant. There is a sewerage plant for about 500 people and a big septic tank. I asked the EPA more than once whether it would come to the bridge to measure the water quality. I asked them to go 200 m downstream where raw sewage is belching in. That is happening. As Deputy Ó Cuív said, we need a tenfold increase in funding for the plants. There are places without a treatment plant and percolation; they just have a big tank from which everything flows out as it went in. That is disgusting and it is happening up and down Tipperary, in villages and everywhere else.

It is time that we stopped demonising the young and old farmers who practice good animal husbandry and work with the shovel to ensure drains operate and address run-off. They are playing their part. Everybody has to play a part.

People who sink their own well must bear the expense and they get no support. Are they going to allow their wells to be contaminated? No, they are not. Therefore, it is time we had fair and reasonable commentary here. It is time that the EPA ponied up to test and expose where the councils are falling down. As I said this morning, two farmer friends of mine were out on a boat, a pleasure craft, in Dublin Bay on a lovely Saturday morning about three weeks ago and they said the two lines of sewage belching out into the sea were quite disgusting. Despite this, we blame the farmers the whole time. The county councils and Government need to act and not blame the rural communities.

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