Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 October 2025
263. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for support with provision of funding and staff resources to adequately monitor and reduce water pollution at Lady’s Island lake (details supplied). [55709/25]
View answer264. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for support for farmers to implement positive environmental changes and assistance to substantially reduce the levels of water pollution in Lady’s Island lake (details supplied). [55710/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 263 and 264 together.
My Department is supporting the work of the inter-departmental Lady’s Island Oversight Group, led by Wexford County Council, which also involves the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage , Local Authorities Water Programme Office (LAWPRO), and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). This work is being led by Minister Christopher O'Sullivan.
Wexford County Council is in the latter stages of developing a site-specific action plan to address the challenges faced by Lady's Island Lake. Once the final Lady’s Island Lake Sustainable Farming & Communities Scheme business plan is received from Wexford County Council, it will be considered by both Departments.
In the Lady's Island Lake catchment, my Department, along with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH) and Tirlan, is funding free confidential advisory support to farmers through the Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme (ASSAP).
Under that Programme, ASSAP advisors are working in the Lake's catchment to identify appropriate on-farm measures to address the challenges faced by the lake.
The Farming for Water European Innovation Partnership (EIP) is led by the Local Authorities Waters Programme (LAWPRO) working in partnership with Teagasc and Dairy Industry Ireland. Through this national EIP, my Department provides funding for specific targeted on-farm actions which go beyond regulatory requirements. This EIP is designed to complement advice provided by ASSAP advisors and a number of Farming for Water EIP applications have already been completed in the lake's catchment.
In addition, EU and nationally co-funded schemes such as the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) and the Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme (TAMS) have been available to farmers in the catchment, again benefiting water quality by providing incentives to farmers to go above and beyond minimum regulatory requirements.
