AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE:AN ACCUSATION that the Government was hiding behind an EU regulation which demanded that all farm waste-management works be completed by year's end was made at a Dáil select committee meeting yesterday.
Michael Creed, Fine Gael spokesman on agriculture and fisheries, said a Cork concrete contractor had written to him to say that he would have to lay off 40 of his workers in Christmas week if this rule were to stay in place.
He was speaking when Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith presented a request for a supplementary estimate of €195 million to meet the cost of paying grants for the work. The Minister came under intense pressure from Opposition deputies to have the deadline of December 31st next for completion of work extended.
Many speakers, including Sinn Féin's Martin Ferris, and PJ Sheehan and Tom Sheahan of Fine Gael, urged the Minister to seek a six-month extension to the closing date. They were joined by Government deputy Bobby Aylward (FF), who said he would like to see the closing date extended by at least three months.
Deputies had argued that because of the large number of applicants, there had been a shortage of skilled builders and materials to carry out the work when the scheme first opened.
Mr Creed said he wanted the Minister to appeal to the European Commission on the basis of all the factors which were delaying the work being completed.