Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 December 2021
9. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of commissions of investigation currently ongoing under the remit of his Department; the duration of each commission of investigation; the deadline for each commission of investigation; and the actual and projected cost of each commission of investigation. [54098/21]
View answerThis question is about investigations in the Department. I am concerned with one investigation in particular. The farm nutrient management scheme in the North of Ireland provided funding for the improvement of animal waste storage. The scheme cost more than £200 million and nearly 4,000 farmers participated in the scheme. It is alleged that the tanks constructed under the scheme are now leaking raw emissions into the environment. Have any incidences of leakages of these raw emissions been investigated in the waterways that cross the Border into the South? The Minister is a Donegal man and that county would be exposed to these potential leaks.
I thank the Deputy. He will get a chance to come back in.
I thank the Deputy. He requested information on the number of commissions of investigation currently ongoing under the remit of my Department and the duration and cost of each of those. The Commissions of Investigation Act 2004 provides for the establishment of commissions of investigation that can investigate matters of significant public concern. To be clear, no commissions of investigation are currently ongoing under the remit of my Department. As regards the duration or actual or projected costs involved, there are none.
This is unusual because, in 2003, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in the North of Ireland introduced a farm management nutrients scheme in accordance with the European Parliament legislation to prevent farm pollution. Some 4,000 farmers participated in the scheme and the specifications set out for the scheme involved the construction of new, impermeable slurry tanks and dirty water storage tanks in compliance with the EU nitrates directive. That code required that all concrete structures designed and constructed under its terms must pass the seven-day leak test before use.
It is alleged that what was then the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in the North of Ireland illegally gave a waiver allowing for construction without a seven-day test. I understand that this happened under the former Ministers for Agriculture and Rural Development, Michelle Gildernew and Michelle O'Neill, and continued up to the current Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Edwin Poots. Has the Department here investigated the possible damage being done to watercourses in the south of Ireland by leaks from the slurry tanks in the North? Has the Minister spoken to the Department in that regard or sought to have this investigated? This matter has been raised with the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, but it has said that it is not investigating it. I have also raised this question with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and it stated that it is not investigating this topic. I raise this issue with the Minister because he is from Donegal and this concerns the watercourses in his county.
I thank the Deputy.
This is not something that has been raised with me as an issue. It is a matter best addressed to the Northern Irish Administration since it is a question specifically for the latter.
On our work on protecting water quality and ensuring the appropriate management of all farmyard nutrients, we have put massive investment in through the targeted agriculture modernisation, TAMS, on-farm investment schemes. Farmers across the country have put in significant resources of their own, assisted by Government supports through those grants to radically transform the facilities on each farmyard in the country over the last two or three decades. A very different infrastructure is in place now. It is something we continue to build on because it is really important that while we farm and produce food really well, it is done in such a way that water, our natural environment and biodiversity are protected. That is fundamental to our approach.
Before Deputy Tóibín comes back in, I ask him to avoid mentioning people's names if he could. That is the practice in the Dáil.
I will not mention them. I appreciate that this matter may not have come across the Minister's desk so far. This is why I am raising it with him today. This crisis in the North could be as big as the cash for ash scandal. Some 4,000 farmers were told that they built correctly and £121 million of grant funding was given. A total of £212 million was spent on these tanks. If they are leaking they will have to be fixed, which will cost hundreds of millions of euro. There were be pollution damage which will cost millions of euro to ameliorate. Farmers may have to reduce their stock while the tanks are fixed and so on. This is an all-Ireland issue. Watercourses do not stop at the Border. I ask the Minister to use his good offices. Gemma Brolly, an Aontú representative for East Derry, has already questioned the Minister, Mr. Edwin Poots MLA, on this and he has not answered the questions. Given how serious this is, will the Minister hold conversations with the Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in the North?
I have no doubt that the Northern Irish Administration takes as seriously as we do the importance of ensuring that nutrients are well managed and facilities of the highest standards are in place on each farm to do that. We give massive grants of between 40% and 60% to support farmers to put in place slurry tanks, sheds and appropriate handling facilities. Farmers take it really seriously. It is something I take very seriously. Our environment is absolutely crucial to us and central to that is the appropriate use of organic manure and fertilisers and appropriate storage of them. We will continue to take that very seriously here and I have no doubt that the Northern Irish Administration will do so also. If the Deputy has particular questions about this matter, he should direct them to the Northern Irish Administration.
