Eamon Scanlon (Fianna Fail)

This country was being taken to the European Court and convicted. If action had not been taken somebody would have been obliged to pay serious fines. Who would have paid them? Ultimately, the farmers would have had to, so that action had to be taken as there was no other option.

The Minister has applied for a derogation on the nitrates directive to increase the limit from 170 kg of nitrogen per hectare to 210 kg. Will the Minister inform the House if there have been any developments concerning that derogation? I realise that the derogation could not be applied for until the nitrates directive was implemented.

I wish the Minister and her officials well. There is a lot of work to be done.