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Nitrates Usage

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 October 2021

Thursday, 7 October 2021

Questions (219)

Matt Carthy

Question:

219. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider redrafting the draft nitrates plan for further consultation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48859/21]

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Written answers

Ireland’s Nitrates Action Programme is a key instrument in achieving good water quality. It is designed to prevent pollution of surface waters and groundwater from agricultural sources and to protect and improve water quality. It is given effect by the Good Agricultural Practice Regulations (SI 605/2017), as amended. The current regulations run to the end of 2021 and a new Nitrates Action Programme will be published towards the end of this year.

The current review of the Nitrates Action Programme is being led by the Nitrates Expert Group, which includes scientific experts from my own Department; the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine; Teagasc and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Nitrates Expert Group will assess the most up to date scientific evidence, and will advise me on the measures that should be included in the next Action Programme. The Expert Group have engaged, and will continue to do so, in bilateral discussions with interested stakeholder groups as part of the review.

The EPA’s Water Quality Indicator’s Report 2021 shows that nearly half of Ireland’s rivers have unsatisfactory nitrogen concentrations and over one quarter of rivers have unsatisfactory phosphorous concentrations. One of the purposes of the revised Nitrates Action Programme is to help reverse these declining water quality trends. The EPA have also estimated that up to 85% of nitrogen in mainly rural catchments comes from agricultural sources.

Following the first public consultation in late-2020, a second consultation phase on the draft Nitrates Action Programme has just been completed, with over 600 responses submitted. These are currently being assessed with a view to adapting and finalising the measures in the Nitrates Action Programme 2022-2025.

I note and appreciate that concerns have been raised in some submissions around the proposed measures. These will be taken into consideration by the Nitrates Expert Group in the design and recommendation of the final measures. I should also note that the proposed measures are based on robust scientific assessment and are designed to achieve the objectives of the Nitrates Action Programme and must respond to the water quality trends reported by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The 2 public consultation processes which have been held on the proposed Nitrates Action Programme are important in informing the design of the final Programme. As the current round of submissions are currently being assessed it would not be possible to provide for a 3rd round of public consultation give the deadline of 31st December 2021 for the publication of the final Action Programme.

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