Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 233: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she has evaluated the extent to which agricultural production and, as a consequence, farm income will be restricted arising from the nitrates directive; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12469/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The underlying principle of the nitrates directive is nutrient balance and, as far as grass growth and tillage are concerned, it means that maximum fertilisation rates will be set which will allow for the application of organic and chemical fertiliser that grass and other crops will take up in full. The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, which has primary responsibility for implementing the directive, is currently in discussions with the European Commission, along with my own Department and Teagasc, with the aim of refining the crop nutrient limits based on the latest scientific advice from Teagasc.

A number of measures have already been put in place by my Department to assist all farmers in meeting their obligations under the nitrates directive. The Sustaining Progress agreement included a number of commitments related to the nitrates directive and these have all been delivered in the form of improvements to the farm waste management scheme and the dairy hygiene scheme and substantially increased REPS payments under the REPS 3 scheme.

During the past week, I announced details of further improvements to the farm waste management scheme which have now been formally agreed with the European Commission. The revised scheme is designed specifically to help farmers meet the requirements of the nitrates directive. Application forms for participation in the scheme are now available in my Department's local AES offices throughout the country and on my Department's website. Applications must be received before 31 December of this year, so I strongly urge farmers to take the necessary steps to ensure that their participation in the scheme is not made impossible by late submission of applications.

To help farmers understand the nitrates regulations, my Department placed an advertisement in the farming press and is preparing an explanatory booklet designed to explain the new rules clearly and simply. This booklet will be sent to all farmers as soon as the issue of fertiliser limits is finalised. In addition, my Department will be making maximum use of the information held on its databases to provide farmers with information about their stocking levels and organic nutrient loading.

I am aware that some farmers, particularly in the pig and poultry sectors, may find it more difficult to find spreadlands for the organic manure they produce. Considerable efforts have already been made to alleviate the impact of the nitrates regulations on the pig and poultry industries and to help farmers to meet their obligations. Nevertheless, I have asked my officials to give the matter further consideration. Given that pig and poultry manure is high in phosphorus, there will be a limit to the amount of land where it can be spread. The most suitable outlet for this kind of manure is tillage land. There is more than enough tillage land in the country to utilise all of the pig and poultry manure but I am conscious that not all producers have tillage land nearby. The high liquid content of pig manure, in particular, makes it expensive to transport. Pig producers should therefore start looking seriously at technology for separating solids and liquids. As part of the new farm waste management scheme which I announced last week, grant aid is available for this kind of technology. Pig and poultry producers are now eligible for this scheme for the first time.

I also urge other farmers to show solidarity with pig and poultry producers by taking their manure instead of using chemical fertiliser. I have asked Teagasc to make farmers aware of the nutrient value of slurry and the savings that they can achieve by substituting it for chemical fertiliser.