Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 206: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the position regarding his views on reedbed technology as a way of dealing with farmyard effluent; if he has changed its views on this matter in 2011; if so, if he has communicated directly with individual farmers who have been using this technology and given them an appropriate lead-in time to change their effluent management practice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29212/11]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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A Guidance Document for the use of Integrated Constructed Wetlands (ICWs) for farmyard soiled water and domestic waste water applications was published by the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government in December 2010. To complement this Guidance Document, my Department also published a Specification for ICWs for use on farms, in June 2011. Any ICW constructed and certified in accordance with the Guidance Document and the Specification is acceptable for the treatment of farmyard soiled water. There is no requirement for a lead-in time as allowing this technology increases the options for management of farmyard soiled water.