Sir, - You saw fit recently to publish a letter from Eoin Ryan TD, spokesperson on ecology for Fianna Fail, on Irish farm pollution. In this, he comments on REPS and proposes a new tier of inspectors for the farm compliance checks for REPS.
As one who has been around the agri scene in Ireland for some time, I would state that Mr. Ryan is poorly informed and not conversant with what is happening on the ground. The REPS are not ineffective, as Eoin Ryan states - slurry tanks and manure tanks do not get built overnight. Right now, it is very difficult to get building contractors; some are booked months in advance.
There have been, and will continue to be, growing pains in getting a scheme as major as REPS up and running smoothly. In no way is the Department of Agriculture both poacher and game keeper - if it is, the gamekeeper is winning hands down.
Mr. Ryan's proposal to put EPA in charge of compliance is not just plain silly, it is dangerous. It will bring in a new crop of inspectors, untrained and unversed in the running of rural schemes, while leaving those who are trained and versed in the day to day practicalities of farming to sit on the sideline. All that Mr. Ryan needs is more patience and more facts. - Yours etc.
Agricultural consultant,
Main Street, Newbridge, Co. Kildare.