As the year-end deadline of the farm waste management scheme looms, the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) has warned many will have difficulty completing targets.

The EU environmental regulations have prompted agricultural investment across Ireland, to boost compliance by farmers.

Chair of the IFA's Development Committee, Tom Turley, has said the amount of investment for 2007, outlined in the latest Teagasc national farm survey, stood at €1.4 billion.

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Mr Turley said an equivalent fund was injected this year, momentum can be sustained, according to Mr Turley, who has called on a "flexible arrangement" to be implemented, which will allow farmers to begin applying for grant aid.

Mr Turley said this should be put in place at the end of the year.

A record number, of over 5,000 farmers have already received €160 million-worth of investment for completed work, this year, according to Mr Turley.

However, an additional 20,000 farmers are currently undertaking the scheme. But many risk failing to complete work before the year-end deadline.

"Completing work by the end of the year is going to be very difficult due to a lack of capacity of farm builders," said Mr Turley.

He has called on the Department of Agriculture to take action by allowing a flexible arrangement that will guarantee farmers who have started work will not miss out on grant aid.

(PR/JM)