Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)

It is not really possible to talk about economic sustainability without environmental sustainability because the true cost of doing that business is not being taken into consideration. It is also about the impact on our tourism offering and jobs for people in rural areas and our viability as an industrial location in terms of our water quality. Many other factors are involved. Our healthcare system is also affected and the cost of our healthcare system is affected when our rivers are not at optimal quality. The Government can wheel in as many senior officials from the European Commission as it likes to witness first hand our outdoor grass-based system but in reality the system is not working. We are just kicking the can down the road. Are we hanging on a bit like climate change to see whether Europe will water things down? I note that at the last EU nitrates committee meeting member states voted to approve the use of processed manure above excess nitrogen limits. We should be showing leadership. We can be sustainable, profitable and show leadership.

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