If, as reported, the Minister for Agriculture in Northern Ireland is prepared to consider an extension for the completion of works in the Farm Waste Management Scheme for farmers who encountered delays through weather or other factors outside their control, the same consideration should be given by the Republic’s Minister.

This was stated by Marian Harkin MEP when she welcomed the Northern Minister’s decision and criticised the refusal up to now by Minister Brendan Smith to adopt the same policy.

“Those of us who are working hard to ensure that an Irish application to extend the scheme for farmers who have encountered unexpected difficulty in completing works have not seen any evidence that the Irish government is making any attempt to help those in difficulty”, she said.

Since the EU was bearing a considerable amount of the cost of the scheme, it was inconceivable that the Minister for Agriculture was refusing to afford farmers south of the border what was on offer to those in the North, she said.

“If concessions can be made in Northern Ireland, whose Department of Agriculture operates to the same EU regulation as in the South, Minister Smith must take immediate steps to ensure that the same rules apply in the South”, Marian Harkin said.

She called on the Minister for Agriculture to clarify the matter immediately so as to ease the pressure on those attempting to complete works in the interests of the environment and of local economies which benefit from the construction activity involved.