asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he will take any action against a person (name supplied) in County Meath who received a grant for a silage layout on the banks of the Rathkenny river which is now polluting the river to the extent that the cattle of a person (name supplied) cannot drink the water and fish have been killed.

Officers of my Department have been in touch with the situation and I am satisfied that the farmer concerned is doing everything possible to prevent pollution occurring from his farmyard.

The local board of fishery conservators are not aware of any recent fish kill in the Rathkenny river.

Is the Minister prepared to tell us what action he is taking to stop the pollution of this river? He mentioned in his reply that officers of his Department had been discussing the matter with the owner concerned.

We have taken all the precautions that are normally taken. We have asked the fisheries people to specially investigate this. They have investigated it already and have found no pollution. It is an extraordinary thing that the Deputy still presses the charge that there is pollution.

Is the Minister aware that over a year ago the CAO wrote a letter to this person that he was seriously polluting this river? Is he aware that the cattle of the man I referred to cannot drink the water from the river?

I am not sure that it is the CAO's responsibility, if the Deputy does not mind me saying so.

I know that, but in his capacity as CAO, and being anxious about relations between two neighbouring farmers, he thought it was his duty to inform this man what was happening.

The Deputy knows that this man got those grants between 1962 and 1970. At that time there was not anything like the same concern about pollution that exists now. We have certain provisions in schemes since 1974. We cannot go back on this. If a man pollutes his stream then the local board of conservators can take care of it.

Question No. 27.