Co operation is always a more attractive option for administrators than coercion, especially when large numbers of influential people are involved. And nobody doubts that farmers and their two main organisations - the IFA and the ICMSA - are a compelling force in Irish political life. But there comes a time when honeyed words, financial inducements and reasoned arguments must give way to compulsion and legal sanction if a small element in an otherwise compliant sector persists in flouting the law and ignoring the common good.
Intensive farming practices are the single most important contributor to water pollution in this country, according to a recent report by the Environmental Protection Agency. And while the great majority of farmers make reasonable efforts to minimise the damage caused to this fragile resource, others act in a criminal fashion, with no concern for the harm being caused to their neighbours, to the tourist industry and, to the economy at large. New laws were promulgated in recent years to make the polluter pay, but a lack of, resources, official indecision, and difficulties in securing evidence have frequently allowed the offender to evade sanction. There appears to be an inherent unwillingness to prosecute farmers and factory owners for all but repeated and the most outrageous offences.
Last September, the EPA was given responsibility by the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Yates, for licensing new, large scale pig and poultry units and for setting operating and effluent standards. But existing units, which are responsible for large scale pollution in the Border counties of Cavan/Monaghan, remain outside the control of the agency. The same situation applies where intensive cattle and dairy farming is concerned.
If the water quality in our lakes and rivers is to be protected from the gradual deterioration which this latest report charts, then a more ambitious and aggressive approach must be adopted by the State. Environmental protection is just another facet of the current debate on food safety and the reassurance of consumers that farm produce is safe to eat.
If farmers don't care about poisoning watercourses and destroying the environment, why should the consumer believe they are concerned about public health? It is a difficult area. And the fact that Government policy has long been focused on increasing production, rather than on minimising pollution, spreads the blame. We are all in this together: producers and consumers. We all stand to gain and to lose on the basis of future policy and implementation.
The Department of the Environment is already investing in a major sewage treatment programme to reduce the level of phosphates entering our lakes and rivers. But farms are the major offenders in this area through slurry spreading, the disposal of wastes and the over use of chemical fertilisers. More resources and greater vigilance and commitment will be required if the worsening water quality situation is to be addressed. The choice is stark. We can cultivate a green island image, with quality foods, pure drinking water and game fisheries, or continue on our present course of environmental degradation.