Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 April 2023
123. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update on negotiations with the EU on the possibility of an extension of the nitrates derogation in order to allow time for appropriate assessment of the effect of changes to previous regulations on water quality. [18487/23]
View answerDuring the negotiations of Ireland’s current Nitrates Derogation and since the European Commission published its Implementing Decision granting Ireland's Nitrates Derogation covering the period 2022-2025, officials from my Department and officials from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage have actively engaged on several occasions with the European Commission on nitrates and water quality issues. This proactive engagement is expected to continue.
In light of negative trends in Irish water quality during the run-up to Ireland’s application for the current Nitrates Derogation, additional conditionality was included as part of the Commission’s decision to grant the derogation.
This Conditionality included the requirement to conduct a two-year review of water quality, this year. The review must compare water quality data for 2021 and 2022. Where this data shows that there are polluted waters, or waters at risk of pollution that are not showing signs of improvement, or where worsening trends have occurred over this period, the maximum stocking rate limit for derogation farms must be reduced from 250kg to 220kg livestock manure nitrogen per hectare from 2024 onwards. The EPA is currently working to provide the water quality data that will be used in this review.
As part of the current Nitrates Action Programme, the scope of some existing measures was broadened, other measures were expanded and a number of new measures were introduced to drive improvements in water quality.
My officials are preparing a case to engage further with the European Commission with the objective of seeking flexibility from them on the two-year water quality review with a view to giving existing measures more time to demonstrate their impact. However, there is no guarantee that there will be a change to the Commission's Implementing Decision as it stands.
I want to secure the Nitrates Derogation into the future as it plays an important role in supporting productive family farming.
