Results 1,701-1,720 of 2,691 for speaker:Tim Lombard

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Tim Lombard: Therefore, the EPA does not have a remit in regard to the suite of measures proposed in the action plan per se. The EPA supplies the information and raw data.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Tim Lombard: What parameters does the EPA set out in regard to the number of inspections and prosecutions? Are parameters set out for local authorities in how the EPA determines whether they are doing an appropriate job?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Tim Lombard: In Dr. Cotter's earlier contributions, she said there were 1,000 bodies of water affected and 200 bodies of water affected due to local authority or Irish Water plants not working appropriately. Are those figures correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Tim Lombard: I refer to the 200 bodies of water that are affected by defective Irish Water infrastructure, or something similar, which account for 15% of the rivers that have issues. What programme of works will be put in place to ensure these 200 bodies of water will be appropriately dealt with within the timeline of this new action plan? Is there any communication between local authorities, Irish...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Tim Lombard: As to the EPA using the powers available to it, I refer in particular to the provisions under section 63. How many times has the EPA exercised its powers under section 63 against Irish Water or local authorities in the last year?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Tim Lombard: Section 63 enforcement actions are taken against local authorities, which are the local operators for Irish Water. The local authority works for Irish Water locally and section 63 is used to make sure it does its work appropriately. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Tim Lombard: It is an enforcement action taken by the EPA against the waste water service provider.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Tim Lombard: It would be interesting to see how many section 63 actions have been taken in successive years. What actions have Irish Water-local authorities used to remedy the issues, particularly in regard to the 200 bodies of water? Has the EPA issued section 63 actions on all the 200 bodies of water?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Tim Lombard: For the general public, it would be useful to see that a relevant body, such as the EPA, has taken the appropriate actions concerning the 200 bodies of water that have not been appropriately dealt with. The section 63 process has worked well. I refer in particular to Belgooly, in my part of the world, where the EPA worked efficiently and competently by invoking section 63, which remedied...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Tim Lombard: It is great to have the witnesses before the committee. It is a very important topic. Climate change, CAP reform and this issue are probably the three issues that most affect the Irish farming community. Many farming pages have been written in the last few months about this issue. I will try to be brief. I am seeking clarity on the proposals. The banding of the cows and the fixing of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Tim Lombard: But would it be fairer?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Tim Lombard: That is the issue. When one looks at the graph, it might be a fairer model.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Tim Lombard: I saw Mr. Nolan at two different presentations during the summer, and it is good to meet him in the flesh now. On the 2019 review, will the Department inform the committee of the changes that occurred to the derogation and what worked? I refer to the training issue and how that has fed into the process.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Tim Lombard: On the other measures, such as training courses, have they been effective as tools for educating farmers and giving them the ability to work more practically on the farm? Will the Department inform the committee about those training courses?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Tim Lombard: Who are they mandatory for?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Tim Lombard: That point has not been made before: they are mandatory for derogation farmers.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Tim Lombard: The 2019 measures are positive in that regard. The argument has been made that if no farmers were in derogation, it could be better. The argument being made in this instance is that because farmers are in derogation, they are properly trained and more efficient, and do better for the environment in how they spread their slurry. The training aspect is significant and has been lost in this...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Tim Lombard: I refer to the proposals going forward. I will not lie; some of them are controversial. The covering of storage is an issue that is often raised in my constituency office. It can be compared to a scenario of an open tank with slats, which is considered okay under the regulations. An open tank that is not covered with slats must be covered. If farmers are compliant under the current...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Tim Lombard: One of the other controversial measures that have been spoken about a lot is on soiled water and the limits on when it can be spread. What is the logic behind having an timeframe that soiled water cannot be spread, such as the time of year, while taking the nutrient value, which is there but is quite low, into consideration? How will that proposal pan out?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Tim Lombard: I refer to the issue of climate change and how we are affected by it, and the run-off from farms and when we spread slurry. Is the Department concerned about how we calculate the effect climate change has on our environment? As an example, on a June bank holiday weekend about six years ago, when we had an unusual storm event, most of the silage was cut in my part of the world in mid-May....