Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)

The nitrates derogation has been my number one priority since I was appointed Minister at the beginning of this year, and for very good reason. Our derogation farmers are making great efforts and strides around improving water quality, operating to a higher standard of conditionality. Our pasture-based system is very different from the rest of Europe. These have been very challenging and sensitive negotiations and there has been much at stake.

We have had three meetings of the nitrates technical committee so far this year, in March, June and September, and Ireland has been on the agenda and presented at each of them. I have dealt with and met Commissioner Roswall on several occasions. At a meeting in Brussels in September, I invited the Commissioner to visit Ireland, which she did, with her officials, in recent weeks. I met her again subsequently in Europe as we continued to engage back and forth. Throughout that time, we have sought to have the Commission put forward a proposal for implementing a decision to the next meeting of the nitrates committee, on 9 December, giving us an extension. The Commission wrote to us in June, highlighting the need for us to address the habitats directive as part of this process. This placed a significant extra burden on us to work through a process as to what that would look like and to have a negotiation in that regard.

I can confirm to the House today that the Commission has finally agreed to put a proposal to the nitrates committee for an extension of the existing derogation. It is not a new derogation; it has different terms and conditions around time and conditions. These have been very sensitive negotiations. The proposal is that the nitrates derogation extension will be for a three-year period, with new conditionality. I have worked very closely with many key stakeholders on this but it is sensitive issue. This is still only a proposal going to a technical committee that has a vote on it. We will not have a derogation on 1 January unless that committee votes to approve this proposal from the Commission. In the intervening period, my focus has been to continue to work with member states to make sure we get the result we need for Irish agriculture and our overall economy on 9 December.

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