I welcome Fr. Johnny Sweeney from Doon, County Limerick, to the Visitor's Gallery. He celebrated our mass for deceased Members and staff this morning. I also thank the Ceann Comhairle for her co-operation.

The Minister replied to another TD about the nitrates directive a few minutes ago. I am talking about the 1,000 farmers he said attended a meeting in Corrin Mart on Monday night. They are very concerned. I am glad the Minister for agriculture, Deputy Heydon, is here.

Farmers feel they need to be heard and their concerns to be appreciated. Nearly all of them have invested hugely in making their farms adaptable up to the current limits but they are frustrated now because neither the Government nor Europe seems to be giving a clear message as to what scientific levels are needed. It is vital that the nitrates derogation is maintained at the current level. Despite the attacks from the left, the media and the EPA, who will provide our food? Farmers are doing their best. I know the Minister is supportive of them but the Government needs a clear message and a strong message for the Commissioner when she comes here - the Minister said he is meeting her - to ensure we have clarity going forward and that the derogation is maintained.

I thank the Deputy for raising what is a really important issue. The nitrates derogation is critically important, not just for our 7,000 derogation farmers, many of whom are in County Tipperary, but for our overall rural economy and for all elements of agriculture. It comes down to land availability and many other measures. This has been a top priority for me since I became Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. I attended the meeting of a couple of thousand farmers in Fermoy on Monday night. I will meet with Commissioner Roswall, who has accepted my invitation to visit Ireland later this week. I have met with her in Brussels previously. I have met with her officials in Brussels and in Ireland when they visited previously. We brought them out to farms and I will bring Commissioner Roswall to a derogation farm as well when she visits to show her first-hand the great work our farmers are doing in terms of the higher standards they are operating to for water quality.

As we reach the endgame of our negotiations, all of this is to try to have an extension of our derogation and get a new derogation beyond the end of this year because our current one falls at that point. We have the habitats directive to address, as well as water quality. That is a very onerous undertaking and we are putting detailed proposals to the Commission right now to get the best possible outcome agreed for our farmers.