The Taoiseach:

There are two issues. Water quality remains a fundamental issue. As the Senator will know, I have set up a Cabinet subcommittee on water quality. I have met with President von der Leyen in this regard. The Minister, Deputy Heydon, has met with the Commissioner responsible and has invited her to Ireland. The habitats directive is a significant additional factor. Of course, An Taisce has taken a case against the fifth nitrates action plan. That has to be taken into consideration in respect of the sixth plan to be presented. There is a further complication arising from the Dutch jurisprudence on the matter, which relates to whether assessment should be carried out by farm or by catchment area. The Minister for agriculture and the Minister for housing brought a memo to the Government two weeks ago outlining the approach they are going to take to progressing this issue with a view to getting a more sustainable future for farmers. There are some areas of the country where the levels are higher than in others. That is problematic but there has also been significant progress made in reducing nitrates in many waterways across the country. There has been a reduction of approximately 10%, as verified by the EPA. Farmers are doing extraordinary work to meet water quality standards. There has been very significant improvement and a lot of investment. The Government is supporting that investment, as is the European Union through the EIP programme.

It will be challenging but we are determined to do everything we possibly can to retain the derogation. Ours is a grass-based industry that is unique across Europe. Our progress has been acknowledged but there will be challenges in this regard. There is no point in saying otherwise. This is vital for dairy farmers in particular but also for the wider agricultural sector because any challenges affect land prices and will affect other sectors as a consequence.