Govt outlines plan to secure nitrates derogation renewal

The Government has outlined the steps it intends to take to secure a renewal of the nitrates derogation for Irish farmers for next year.

Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon brought a memo to the Cabinet this week on the issue, and said renewing the derogation is a key priority.

Under EU Nitrates Regulations, farmers have to ensure that the total amount of nitrogen from organic manure applied to their land does not exceed 170kg per hectare per year.

Ireland has a derogation allowing use of up to 250kg for some farmers but it expires at the end of the year, with the EU set to vote on new limits for 2026.

The Government will make presentations to the EU’s Nitrates Committee this month – as well as in June and September – and will work with stakeholders, including through the Agriculture Water Quality Working Group, to develop Ireland’s sixth Nitrates Action Programme.

Ireland will also engage with the European Commission on the programme, which is due to cover 2026-2029.

Mr Heydon said the nitrates derogation “is a critical element in the economic sustainability of many family farms in Ireland and its loss would have significant consequences for them”.

The EU Nitrates Directive aims to reduce water pollution caused by nitrates used in agriculture, and EU member states are required to monitor water quality and identify areas that drain into polluted waters or are at risk of pollution.

If Ireland’s nitrates derogation is lowered, farmers would have to take measures such as culling cows, exporting slurry, or acquiring more land to abide by lower limits.

Negotiations with the EU Commission are expected to be challenging for Ireland, and a major factor in those talks will be water quality.

No major change in nitrogen concentrations – EPA

In its latest report on water quality, the Environmental Protection Agency noted there was no major change in the concentration of nitrogen in Irish waterways between 2022 and 2023.

The EPA has over 1,300 monitoring stations around the country monitoring nitrates concentration in rivers.

The 2023 report showed that 42% of those sites had elevated nitrogen concentrations, which means the levels are too high to support good ecological health.

Programme Manager of the Water Programme in the EPA Dr Jenny Deakin said that “excess nitrogen in waterways fuels algae growth, which leads to depleted oxygen, and unsatisfactory conditions for fish and insects”.

Dr Deakin said it is “largely in the south, southeast, and east of the country where we need to see a reduction”.

However, she points out that “preliminary data for the early part of 2024 show a reduction in nitrogen concentrations, which is very welcome”.

“So it looks like we’re starting to go in the right direction but improvement is still needed,” she added.

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