David Norris (Independent)

The facts and figures are there. One does not have to be a scientist to appreciate the reality of the situation. Farmers also say that we hardly need a water pollution policy because everything is fine. Others, however, have been saying there is a serious problem in this regard for many years. Senator Henry was one of the first to raise this issue.

Some 30% of our rivers are either moderately or slightly polluted and the water quality has deteriorated significantly in the past 30 years. Almost one third of rivers are eutrophic, which I understand means they are enriched as a result of the use of fertilisers. This enrichment leads to excessive plant growth which blocks out oxygen. This is not a positive development. The principal cause of this is not even slurry, which is very unpleasant and is responsible for fish kills, but the phosphorus content in the nitrates.

I rely on information in the newspapers for this debate, some of which is very well-informed. It seems farmers are using twice as much nitrate as they need.