Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome what the Minister of State said about the applications that have been moved forward regarding the slurry storage, which prove it can be done. The dairy equipment scheme element of that is the key issue here. It is a time-sensitive module of the scheme. It is sensitive because 95% of our cows are spring calving. We have the opportunity in the last few days of November and the month of December to do the work in the milking parlour. As the Minister has done it with one scheme, I implore him to do it for the dairy scheme as well. He has proven it can be done. We have farmers in west Cork, west Limerick and all over the place who cannot move ahead because they cannot get the approvals required. We have literally only a few weeks to do this. I plead with the Minister of State to use his initiative and the powers he has to ensure staff are made available for this scheme for the next few weeks, because if we do not we cannot touch it for another 12 months.