As indicated in my previous reply of 2 July 2003 to the Deputy, the changes proposed to the farm waste management scheme require EU Commission approval. My Department has already written to the EU Commission signalling the changes it is proposed to make and indicating the Department's desire to implement these as soon as possible.
These schemes form part of the regional operational programmes of the national development plan. The monitoring committees of these programmes will consider these proposed changes to the schemes at their meetings in October. Formal Commission consideration of the changes will follow the committees' examinations.