Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 54: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food her plans to provide farmers with a derogation who are unable to comply with the Nitrates Directive or REP scheme conditions on foot of having their farm improvement scheme application suspended. [30120/07]

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. The European Communities (Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters) Regulations 2006 were made by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government following a comprehensive consultation period involving input from stakeholders and other interested parties; and the provisions of the Regulations, including the deadlines for compliance with requirements relating to storage facilities, were specifically agreed with the European Commission as part of Ireland's Nitrates Action Programme. Those deadlines are not linked to the availability of grant aid. A revised Farm Waste Management Scheme, introduced by my Department in 2006 with the approval of the European Commission, was designed to assist farmers in meeting their obligations under the Nitrates Regulations. A standard grant rate of 60% (70% in the four Zone C counties) was available to farmers under the Scheme. 48,580 applications were received from farmers under this Scheme and, to date, almost 35,000 approvals to commence work have issued to farmers. The remaining applications are either still under consideration, are awaiting the receipt of full planning permission or are explained by the receipt of multiple applications from a single farmer.

The Farm Waste Management Scheme, rather than the Farm Improvement Scheme, was the main measure designed to assist farmers to meet their obligations under the Nitrates Regulations. A standard grant rate of 40% was available under the Farm Improvement Scheme. I have recently announced that applications under that Scheme have reached the level of funding available and that, as a result, the Scheme is closed to new applications for now. REPS is a voluntary undertaking. It is a condition of the current Scheme, and has been a condition of previous Schemes, that all necessary animal housing and organic fertiliser storage facilities to meet REPS requirements be in place before the first winter after acceptance into the Scheme. I have no plans to waive this requirement.