Eamon Scanlon (Fianna Fail)

I support Senator Bannon's request for the Minister for Agriculture and Food to come to the House. It should be put on record that in 1992 the Departments of the Environment and Agriculture and the IFA, representing farmers, signed up to a document, Good Farming Practice. It was accepted at the time that 170 kg. per hectare would be the target. The country has ignored that directive for the past 12 years. I understand Ireland has been taken to court in this regard and lost the case. Therefore, we have no choice but to ratify the directive. The Minister assures us that he can get a derogation on the directive and I am sure he will do so. He has succeeded in everything else he put his mind to so I am sure he will also succeed in this instance.