Breeda Moynihan-Cronin (Kerry South, Labour)
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Question 49: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if it is intended to provide additional aid for farmers who may face significant extra waste management costs arising from the EU nitrates directive; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14188/05]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Additional aid to farmers to enable them to complete investment work required to comply with the provisions of the EU nitrates directive has been provided for under the farm waste management scheme. Under Sustaining Progress in 2003, it was agreed that improvements would be made to the grants available under the scheme and this commitment was achieved by the introduction of a revised scheme in January 2004.

Consultations are ongoing with the European Commission regarding the action programme for the implementation of the nitrates directive in Ireland. The question of further changes to the conditions of the farm waste management scheme will be considered in the light of the requirements of the action programme, when agreed.

Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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What discussions has the Minister held with the farming organisations? Are they ongoing? When is she likely to reach conclusions arising from these discussions?

Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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She met a number of representatives in Donegal recently.

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I meet representatives of the farming organisations ad infinitum. I was seriously considering building a flat for a number of them because I see them two or three times a week. Negotiations are ongoing. I instructed my Department and Teagasc to evaluate the current needs and to examine new earthen banks, wintering pads and so on. That work has been done and we have engaged in a great deal of consultation. There will be further consultation over the next number of months to address this issue, which is at the top of the agenda of all the farming organisations.

Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I appreciate the Minister has had ongoing meetings with the personnel from Teagasc, especially in her constituency regarding pigs and poultry. Some issues, such as the technicality of transferring slurry and manure of a definite value from one farm to another, need not be significant and could be solved, but it is now tied up in red tape. An elderly farmer who is not fully utilising his land could utilise this valuable asset but instead he is required to sow bags of imported fertiliser. Can an effort be made to remove some of that red tape? A farmer must have a C2 before he can accept manure from a pig farmer. If we were sensible we could get around many problems without major expense.

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Crawford is correct and this issue has been raised by the cross-Border group and pig farmers. Another practical issue is that there are many part-time farmers and it is easier for them to spread artificial manure on a Saturday as opposed to meeting another farmer to acquire organic manure. Teagasc and farmers state that organic manure is better than bags of bought fertiliser. We have examined this from a REPS point of view. People are afraid of it, which is silly as it is organic.

Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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They are afraid that they will break a rule as that would mean they would lose their single premium.

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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We are examining that issue and other measures such as reducing water content, change of feed and methodologies of farming. The bottom line is that we sent our people abroad to investigate and learn as much as possible from what is happening in other countries to address this matter. In Denmark, there are spread lands, but there are still difficulties.