Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 14 February 2024

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion

Mr. John Enright:

I will make a brief point. Mr. Drennan mentioned earlier that we have the derogation farmers with 50 or more requirements on them in order to farm at that level of farming. Everything is inspected. The frustration among farmers is that the level of regulation is really trying to choke the sector. While the current generation might put up with it, the next generation will not. This is critical from our perspective. We have a hugely innovative modern dairy sector, which is globally recognised and we are in serious danger from a generational renewal point of view of destroying that sector unless we cop ourselves on.