Sir, Kevin O'Sullivan's report on water pollution from farms and the Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS) misses the main problem with REPS and pollution. The fact is that the majority of very intensive farmers are not in REPS as they would have to spend too much on pollution control and would have to reduce their stocking levels considerably. As there is more money to be made from headage payments, etc., through overstocking and polluting than by joining REPS, why bother 9
At the same time those farmers who have invested in environmentally friendly farming through, REPS are being penalised with punitive inspections and intolerable payment delays as a pretence, is made that something is being done about pollution. The Department of Agriculture is in breach of contract with thousands, of farmers who have invested in pollution control and RFPS by delaying payments and tailing to inspect on time. Nutrient management plans should be compulsory for all farmers and the Department should target large intensive farmers who are most likely to pollute.
The firm advisory body Teagasc is hardly in a position to criticise. By closing the organic farm research unit at Johnstown Castle, Teagasc has abandoned research on the recycling of farm pollutants.
As we have seen from the Mutton Island case and LUAS, this government is quite out of touch with progressive environmental thinking in Europe. It has placed the interests of agribusiness capital before the needs of the people and is ignoring farm pollution. Yours, etc., Lugboy, Taughmaconnell, Co Roscommon.