Dr. Jenny Deakin:

One thing which is important to say is that we understand from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine that approximately 2,000 farmers will be affected by the derogation cut, but we have 130,000 farmers and we have water quality issues from agriculture right across the country. These are for different reasons, in different places, with different soil types, and different nutrients, pesticides and the whole works. Water quality is not only within the remit of the derogation farmers who are affected to fix but is an issue for the whole sector. There is no doubt that when it comes to two years' time, with the next nitrates action programme, it will be the whole picture which Ireland will be judged upon and not one bit or the other.