Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

As the regulations were made before Christmas, we were able to start to pursue our case for a derogation for certain farmers from the organic nitrogen limit set by the directive with the Commission and other member states. The proposal is designed to allow farmers to operate, under appropriate conditions and controls, up to a level of 250 kg. This is particularly vital for farmers in the more intensive dairy sector. My Department has taken the lead role in this matter and, with the support of Teagasc, will continue to work with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government towards achieving a successful outcome. For the sake of the farmers who need this derogation, it is essential that we get clarity on the regulations as quickly as possible so that the negotiations can go ahead.

A decision on the future of beet growing in Ireland will be a commercial decision by the stakeholders concerned, having regard to the reformed EU sugar regime which will apply from 1 July. While the regime had remained largely unchanged for 40 years, its reform was inevitable and could no longer be postponed due to internal and international pressures.

The political agreement reached at the Council in November with regard to reform of the regime was the culmination of protracted and difficult negotiations. I engaged with the stakeholders on a regular basis and had their full support for my negotiating stance.

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