Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 10 July 2024

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (Resumed)

5:30 pm

Dr. Jenny Deakin:

The targeting agricultural measures map we have produced that the Senator is referring to shows where nitrogen, phosphorus and ammonium measures need to happen. That is based on our monitoring data around the country that is water body specific. We can tell from that monitoring data how much reduction is needed and where the sources of those nutrients are coming from. We pulled out the agricultural contribution to each of those three nutrients to compile that agricultural measures map. As the committee will know, there are colours on that map. Orange refers to nitrogen, blue is for phosphorus and red is for ammonium. White refers to where either the water quality is satisfactory or the sources of pollution are other than agriculture.