Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his response. I again make the point that perhaps additional communication regarding this could be looked at. I spoke to a couple of random farmers to see if they were aware of the fact that they could not spread a level of phosphorous, depending on their stocking rate, without soil testing. I do not think the awareness is there. When you have a farm organisation telling you that communication has been poor and that its members clearly are not fully aware of it, and that is its read of the situation, I ask that there be leniency with regard to penalties. Farmers are already struggling hugely with respect to income. Costs are very high, and to look to penalise them on this would not be the right thing to do. I ask that a new communication strategy be considered, and that penalties be looked at in a lenient way.

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