I welcome our visitors to the Gallery. The European Commission has just raised the bar for Irish farmers when it comes to compliance with the nitrates directive. The intervention by Europe is welcome because successive Governments have failed to protect our river bodies.

Sorry?

Successive Governments have failed to protect our river bodies, lakes and estuaries. In the 1980s, there were 500 pristine river bodies in this country. We are now down to 20, so we can see the scale of the problem. The reality is the changes will be very difficult to farmers to comply with. I argue they will be near impossible. There is a responsibility on the Government to ensure that farmers are supported to make this change. What is the transition plan? We need to take our heads out of the sand. The reality is it is unlikely we will achieve this derogation. What is the Government's plan to support farmers? Where is its plan B?

The Deputy called it a transition plan but she is masking her real view that farmers should get out of farming. That is what she is saying. We have a different approach.