Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

The nitrates directive was introduced in 1991 with the objective of protecting waters against pollution. We are now at the end of 2005 and Ireland is the last country to sign up to and introduce the regulations for the directive. If I had not signed the nitrates directive last Sunday, it would not be possible to have gone into the nitrates committee to commence the derogation negotiations on Monday. If that happened, Irish farming would be imperilled. If a Minister was prepared to prevaricate as opposed to taking political decisions, Irish farming would have been destroyed.

After lengthy negotiations and consultations with all relevant interests, including the main farming organisations — I want to pay particular tribute to the leadership of the farming organisations — Ireland's national action plan under the nitrates directive was formally submitted to the European Commission on 29 July 2005. The programme was prepared jointly by my Department, the Department of Agriculture and Food and Teagasc.

In October last, my Department, together with the Department of Agriculture and Food, jointly issued a consultation paper on the draft regulations. On foot of the submissions received, of which there were many, and following difficult and intensive negotiations with the European Commission, a number of significant amendments were made to the original draft regulations mainly by way of concessions to meet the concerns of farmers and farm organisations. It is clear Senator Bannon has not read these concessions. These and previously won concessions include the following: the postponement of the commencement of the regulations from 1 January 2006 to 1 February 2006, meaning that the first closed period will not come into effect until late 2006; reductions in the closed period for spreading slurry for most areas; lesser storage requirements in counties Donegal and Leitrim; a new transitional period of up to 22 months for major licensed pig farmers, those covered by the IPC and IPPC arrangements, this is a major concession for small pig farmers; reduced storage requirements for farmers who generally out-winter their animals at a low stocking rate; and reduced buffer zones around water sources.

I advise the Senator and the House that if they had a Minister for the environment who prevaricated, as the Senator would have wished, we would have got none of those concessions.

The new transitional arrangements obtained for——