Government urged to intervene in EC’s deadline for farm waste

THE Government was urged yesterday to make a direct and urgent plea to the European Commission to extend the deadline for the completion of works under the farm waste management scheme.

Farmers are campaigning for an extension of the deadline as works being carried out under the programme have been delayed, due primarily to the wet weather of recent months.

Irish members of the European Parliament met with senior members of the commission in on the issue in Brussels yesterday

Mairead McGuinness (FG) said she had outlined the problems facing 10,000 farmers who cannot meet the December 31 deadline.

“For many reasons, including dreadful weather this year and difficulties in finding contractors to start work, there are thousands of farmers who cannot physically meet the deadline,” she said.

Ms McGuinness said she urged the commission to consider the environmental impact of not extending the deadline.

“The commission should also see that allowing completion of work under the scheme makes sense from an environmental and farming perspective.

“Showing flexibility would also let Irish farmers see the commission fully understands their plight and is willing to listen and respond to the difficulties they face in a year which will see a significant drop in farm incomes due to commodity price falls.”

However, she said the Government also needs to step up to the plate and make a direct and urgent plea to the commission to extend the deadline.

Independent MEP Marian Harkin said there is only one chance of obtaining an extension of the deadline and that is for the Government to make a vigorous approach to the commission.

“I proposed a six months extension for completion of works and pointed out the best environmental interests of Ireland and of the EU would be served by doing so”, she said.

Ms Harkin said she he would be writing to commissioner Marian Fischer Boel to emphasise the benefits of the completion of works by as many farmers as possible.