Results 20,301-20,320 of 24,049 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: Teagasc would say that there would be an impact from it, but that it would not necessarily be the step that would make the most impact. As well as that, it is the step which has the most financial and economic impact. There are other steps that could be taken, and which we are taking and have already taken. One of the main steps which I wanted to put on the Commissioner's table was seeking...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: We would have focused on communicating the challenge that it might drop because obviously a farmer must look at it and work with their adviser to see how best to deal with a potential drop to 220 kg N/ha. The Deputy made a fair point about time. Farmers, particularly farmers who have a derogation, are closely monitoring how they apply nutrients. As part of the derogation process, there are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: That is why we fought very hard to hold the 250 kg N/ha and fought very hard in the review to continue to have that possibility. Obviously, the water quality data did not support that. We then fought to try to have the derogation and renegotiate it. Regarding where we will stand under the next derogation post 2025 and whether there is a possibility for some parts of the country showing...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: The derogation we have goes from January to December. It is the average of nitrogen loading over the year. That is the derogation we have and there is no possibility of renegotiating it and getting a legal, statutory amendment to it. We must work with the terms and conditions of the derogation we have. The map and data indicating which areas were failing at least one of the four tests...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Deputy. We have worked closely with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage because this is a joint effort and that Department is technically the lead Department. We have worked very closely. I have been engaging with Teagasc and the advisory services on providing additional support for farmers. We will also be reflecting on how we can further support that....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: The working group has had five meetings. I established it back in May. In the past, when this was an issue it was carried out much more informally between the Department and farm representatives. I was very conscious of the challenge that we have and I was very conscious of the backdrop of the really difficult negotiation we had to get the derogation renewed, and with the review to have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: It goes way back before my time so I am not necessarily in a position to give that background. It would have been managed by the Department with responsibility for housing over that period. The bottom line is that the nitrates directive was about improving water quality across EU member states. Everyone in the EU works to the same food and environmental standards. This is even more...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: We have an inspection process and system. I might ask Mr. Callanan to give an update on how it works.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: I will just come in. The point the Deputy is making is a fair one. The more advice, assistance and hands-on support we can give to all farmers, the better. In Timoleague they have been working together and they have done great work. They are looking to manage and monitor nutrients in a very strong way with the objective of monitoring water quality alongside that. That is where our...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: That has to be where we are at and it is my message to farmers as well. We fought very hard to get 220 kg N/ha; it could have been a lot lower this time around. We negotiated hard to make sure we got where we are but we were in a very difficult position. What the Deputy said is accurate - to make sure we are in a stronger position at the end of 2025, we have to show continued improvement...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank Deputy Matthews. We are and will continue to take many steps to support farmers. We discussed the €60 million water project, which I announced in the last few weeks. There is also the agri-climate rural environment scheme, ACRES, in which record numbers are participating. It makes a significant contribution in this regard, as do some of the other schemes I have introduced...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: There is a role and responsibility for all sectors. Nitrates is obviously primarily an agricultural issue. Phosphorous is primarily an urban waste issue in terms of its contribution in impacting water quality. We must also be careful in how we manage our forestry. Our new forestry plan and programme, which we have just initiated, is very much conscious of this and of buffers being in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: The reality is that Coillte has been leading the change of approach with regard to our national forestry. There is no doubt, if you go back between 20 and 40 years, that the way we do forestry is very different now.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: It is about the right tree in the right place. There is no doubt, if you go back, that trees were planted in places that were not appropriate. It would have been monocultural, and in terms of buffer zones and so on, it would bear no resemblance to what we now have in place. Coillte has been at the forefront of changing that in terms of the blend of deciduous broadleaf trees versus...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: I will certainly provide the Deputy with an update on those points. As I said, Coillte is leading on the changes and the different approach to forestry that we are taking. Our new forestry programme is entirely different from the forestry programmes that were in place 20 years ago and more.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: We need to be clear about the very challenging position we were in when we were negotiating the derogation. It was a very difficult negotiation. What the Commission had on the table was much less than the 220 kg N/ha that we ultimately negotiated. We fought very hard to get the strongest possible outcome. Those were the four tests the Commission required as part of that derogation.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: I will refer to Mr. Callanan or Mr. Massey to provide more of the technical detail on the four tests. It was not just one particular aspect; there were four different aspects to it, which I will ask Mr. Callanan to outline.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: That is correct. That is the requirement and that was the position we were in. We fought hard to get a really strong derogation. The battle now is to make sure that, come the end of 2025, we are in a position to continue to secure that derogation and to keep it. The situation could have been a lot worse if we had not fought the way we did to get the derogation we have. Perhaps Mr....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: It has a real and undoubted impact for farmers who are farming at between 220 kg N/ha and 250 kg N/ha. Teagasc has done modelling on it. That is why we have to work to support those farmers throughout this period. It is also why we have to work to make sure we hold the derogation above 220 kg N/ha.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: I will give the Senator a written update on it. It impacts variously depending on the-----