I appreciate the time to say a few words on a topic which is important to the farming community, 48 young agricultural science graduates and 12 young environmental science graduates. Two weeks ago those 60 people took a planning course in Ennis under the aegis of the rural environmental protection scheme.
Over the past few years the European Union, the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry and others have become very conscious of the environment. As a result the REPS was introduced. Under that scheme farmers follow a plan for a five year period during which they clear up the lake shores and rivers on their lands, trim hedges and so on. More importantly, they must provide accommodation for their stock as well as for fodder, effluent and slurry and there is a definite upper limit to the amount of fertiliser and lime that can be spread on their land. Each year during the five year period the farmer receives a bonus for his work in this regard, but as the cost of providing the accommodation could be between £20,000 and £45,000, the bonus is well earned. The down side of REPS is that a farmer may not carry more than one livestock unit per one and a quarter acres of land, thus reducing meat production. While this may be acceptable to those in the well fed part of the world, those who are starving would not hold a similar view.
Those are the tasks of the people who draw up REPS plans. Irrespective of how highly qualified a graduate is, I accept that he or she would require in-service training for two or three months to be able to carry out those tasks, but we are talking about highly intelligent agricultural and environmental scientists. Until two years ago those who completed the course in Ennis were deemed planners under the REPS and could open planning agencies. However, those who have just completed the course were told they would have to spend a further two years doing in-service training. A planner with his or her own agency would be eligible to give 20 hour courses to young farmers. These courses are relatively lucrative and it is a shame that such highly qualified people are debarred from holding them.
The Minister is a practical individual, so I appeal to him to review the terms under which these planners are granted full planning permission and the authority to open their own agencies.