Nitrates order driven by politics — not science
The nitrates action plan provides for farmers to be prosecuted and liable to a six-month jail term if they fail to have proper documentation such as records of all feed and fertiliser purchased from merchants.
This is draconian legislation, and yet farmers have not been issued with any guidelines as to how to comply with the new rules.
This is completely unacceptable and should not be tolerated by any sector of our community.
The rules, as they stand, cannot be complied with by the majority of commercial farmers and should be withdrawn until a sensible system is put in place.
In view of the comments by the Teagasc board that vital elements of the scientific evidence that it provided were omitted in the final statutory instrument, it is clear the Government failed to prioritise a practical and sensible implementation of the directive.
It is now evident that the core principle of a scientific evidence approach to the implementation of the directive was shelved in favour of a policy of political expediency.
Both the Ministers for the Environment and Agriculture have serious questions to answer on why vital elements of the scientific advice provided by Teagasc were not included in the final statutory instrument.
The result of the Government approach is a set of unworkable rules which is a direct threat to many commercial farmers.
To add insult to injury, the farm waste management grants which so many farmers are relying on will only be available at their proposed rates until the end of 2006 a fact that Fine Gael highlighted as far back as April 2005.
In order to draw down these grants, farmers have to meet planning requirements set down by local authorities and have the development completed by the end of this year. This timetable is impossible to meet, as are the rules being laid down under the nitrates action plan.
The only solution at this stage is to withdraw the current legislation and provide for an implementable and workable framework.
The Government must take action now or the damage to family farms will be immeasurable.
Cllr Tim Lombard
Granig
Minane Bridge
Co Cork
