Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Friday, 15 September 2023
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion
Mr. Bill Callanan:
That includes periods when one cannot spread slurry, the amount of storage and the limits on fertilisers. That is applied to every farmer, irrespective of whether they are in derogation. The same applies in Timoleague. It is no different. Within the Timoleague catchment, there is a higher density of derogation farmers who have additional requirements of them. We pay for the agricultural catchments programme, which gives that monitoring. Traditionally, the team would always say that the derogation farmers have been the most engaged in their understanding of water, what they need to do and their awareness of it. That has been a positive. The actions that are required in Timoleague are required in all other areas of the country.
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