Paddy McHugh (Galway East, Independent)
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Question 134: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will liaise with the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government to ensure that the organic nitrogen application limits to be included in the Government's nitrates action programme be set at 250 kg N per hectare thereby recognising that Irish farming is grass based livestock farming unlike other EU member states which have highly concentrated arable and livestock production systems; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16615/04]

Joe Walsh (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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The implementation of the nitrates directive is a matter, in the first instance, for the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

My Department has had ongoing contact with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government on the development of a draft action programme giving further effect to the directive. This draft action programme was presented in December 2003 to representatives of the main farming organisations and other stakeholders, who were invited to submit their comments. Written submissions on the draft action programme have been received from some 70 stakeholders, including all the main farming organisations, and a revised draft is being prepared by officials of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government together with officials from my Department. Direct discussions have also taken place between officials of the two Departments and the farming pillar under Sustaining Progress.

Under Sustaining Progress, the Government is committed to using the flexibility of the nitrates directive to seek European Commission approval for a derogation allowing organic nitrogen limits of up to 250 kg per hectare per annum. After the draft action programme is finalised and submitted to the European Commission, a derogation proposal designed to take account of the unique characteristics of Irish agriculture will also be submitted. In the context of finalising the derogation proposal, the objective is to achieve approval for appropriate derogation arrangements in a manner that underpins the future of our commercial agriculture sector.