Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)

I thank the Taoiseach for his comments, but this time we have to do something different. We need political leadership and accountability. The damage here has been building for four decades and the existing processes just have not worked. In place of a thriving ecosystem, we are going to end up with a toxic goo lagoon. If we fail to act, we do not have far to look to see what is next for Lady's Island Lake. Lough Neagh is already described as toxic due to the algal bloom it experiences each summer.

There are solutions, such as, perhaps, advancing a European innovation partnership scheme. Something similar was done nearby in Duncannon. That would create ways of rewarding farmers for changes they undertake to reduce nutrient run-off.

As my colleague, Senator Malcolm Noonan, said in the Oireachtas committee, unless the Department of agriculture is centrally involved and unless all the stakeholders play an active and collaborative role, this unique habitat will become a dead zone for nature. I do not think the Taoiseach wants that on his watch.

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