Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 391: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if progress has been made in seeking a derogation from the full impact of the nitrates directive; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26433/05]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The implementation of the nitrates directive is a matter in the first instance for the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. In October 2004, Ireland submitted proposals for a derogation from the general organic nitrogen limit of 170 kg per hectare per annum laid down in the nitrates directive. The proposal was designed to allow farmers to operate, under appropriate conditions and controls, up to a level of 250 kg of organic nitrogen per hectare. My Department and Teagasc developed the derogation proposals in consultation with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

The European Commission was not prepared to engage in formal discussions on the derogation proposals until Ireland's nitrates action programme was agreed. There have been preliminary discussions with the Commission, however, and I will be pressing strongly to have these discussions concluded as early as possible in 2006.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 392: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food when she will announce the grant scheme for upgrading holding and housing facilities under the nitrates plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26434/05]

Paul McGrath (Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 396: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the grant aid which is available to farmers to enable them to provide storage tanks to comply with the nitrates directive in view of extensive redevelopment of farms; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26606/05]I

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 392 and 396 together.

To assist farmers meet the additional requirements of the nitrates action programme, I have announced details of a proposed revised farm waste management scheme for which EU approval is being sought. I am hopeful that early approval of the scheme will be forthcoming so that it can be introduced next January. Subject to the required EU approval, the scheme will introduce a standard grant rate of 60%, with 70% being available for Zone C counties, in place of the current grant rate of 40% — additional aid will be available for young farmers at rates of 10% in less-favoured areas and 5% in other areas; extend the maximum ceiling for farmers from 450 to 650 income units, with no upper limit being applied in the case of pig and poultry farmers; raise the maximum eligible investment from €75,000 to €120,000; remove any minimum income requirements from farming from the scheme so that all small farmers can participate; extend the scheme to include horses, deer, goats, pigs and poultry, and mushroom compost; introduce a new 40% grant rate for specialised equipment with specific environmental advantages subject to maximum eligible investment of €80,000, in the case of decanter centrifuge systems and dry feeding systems for pigs, and €40,000 in the case of specialized slurry spreading tankers and related equipment; and increase the maximum eligible investment for standard mobile equipment from €11,000 to €15,000 with the grant rate remaining at 20%.

I am satisfied that, when approved, the revised scheme will provide a very satisfactory platform for Irish farmers who need to carry out additional investment works in order to meet the requirements of the nitrates directive.