Farmers livelihoods endangered

THE survival of hundreds of small and medium sized Irish farmers is being threatened by a new European Union regulation on facilities for the storage of slurry, Fine Gael North West MEP Senator Jim Higgins has warned.

He said the controversial EU regulation is being implemented by the Department of Agriculture and Food.

It stipulates that any farmer with less than twenty income units (20 cows) will not qualify for grant-aid for the erection of farm buildings with slurry waste management facilities.