Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 18 Dec 1997

Vol. 485 No. 4

Written Answers. - Usage of Chemicals.

Liz McManus

Question:

47 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the plans, if any, he has to encourage the agricultural sector to reduce its usage of chemicals in view of the serious damage to waterways by the overuse of nitrate and phosphate based fertilisers by farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23210/97]

Minister for Agriculture and Food (Mr. Walsh)

Pollution of waterways can arise from various sources, including domestic, industrial and agricultural. Nutrient management planning, which involves the recycling of farm wastes, on the farm and the correlation of fertiliser usage, especiallly phosphates and nitrates, with cropping requirements, aims to reduce the risk of pollution from agriculture.

The rural environment protection scheme (REPS) has a major role to play in the promotion of nutrient management planning. One of the more important measures of REPS is the requirement to prepare a waste management, liming and fertilisation plan for the farm. This measure is designed to protect the quality of our waterways by minimising nutrient losses from agriculture. Over 30,000 farmers have joined the scheme from 1994 to date and I envisage that our target of 43,000 farmers in the scheme will be achieved by 1999.

A code of good practice to protect waters from pollution by nitrates was published jointly in July 1996 by my Department and the Department of the Environment and Local Government. This code prescribes methods to prevent or minimise the pollution of waters from nitrates by adopting certain farm waste and nutrient management techniques in the storage of organic wastes, silage, dungstead and farmyard manure and soiled water.

Substantial assistance has been provided by my Department in recent years in grant-aid for investment in pollution control facilities under the control of farm pollution scheme and the farm improvement programme.

In addition to grant aid for investment in farm pollution works, improved capital allowances for investment in controlling pollution on farms were introduced in the 1997 Finance Act.

My colleague, the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, has overall responsibility for implementation of legislation for the protection of the environment. In this area, the Waste Management Act, 1996, empowers local authorities to take action where pollution of waterways is being caused by overuse of fertilisers.