Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister, Deputy McConalogue, and I met the Commissioner and explored any possible flexibilities that we could get, including moving the date for implementation, but the rules are clear and are written in black and white in European law. We have some flexibilities. The average is not immediate from 1 January, but is over the period of the year so people can delay implementation. Obviously, that means doing more in the latter half of the year and the consequences that arise from that. It does not have to happen on 1 January; it is an average over a full year. There is the possibility of exporting slurry. There are other options available to farmers. As well as that, there are some changes to how calves are calculated in the directive and help for farmers was announced in the budget in terms of slurry storage and so on.

My biggest concern for Irish farmers and our food industry is the possibility that we will lose the derogation altogether in 2025. The Netherlands has already lost it. It is already gone in Flanders. Only Ireland and Denmark continue to have the derogation. I have a big concern that we will lose it altogether. If we lose it, we will be doing a big disservice to Irish farmers, farm incomes and our wider food industry. The worst thing we can do for farmers is to tell them that this problem is going to go away because it is not. We have to work together to improve our water quality. That means changes being made on farms. It also means improving Uisce Éireann's infrastructure and doing lots of other things. The last thing we can do now is to turn a blind eye or tell people this problem is going to go away. It is not. The way we keep the derogation we have is to improve our water quality and that means the Government and farmers working together to make sure that happens.

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