Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 152: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she has met with the Irish Farmers Association in regard to the regulations that give legal effect to the nitrates action programme; if so, the outcome of the meetings; and her plans to go back to Europe to try and get this directive changed. [4763/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The implementation of the nitrates directive is a matter for the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, in the first instance. The regulations to give legal effect to the nitrates action programme were signed by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in December 2005 and came into effect on 1 February 2006. The directive itself dates from 1991.

The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government engaged in an extensive consultation process on the action programme and regulations, during which stakeholders were afforded the opportunity to put forward their views and concerns. I have also met the IFA to discuss the implementation of the nitrates directive. In addition, officials of both Departments met with farm organisations, including the IFA, and other stakeholders on a number of occasions prior to the regulations being made by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

Teagasc, the State body responsible for providing the science on which the technical aspects of the regulations are based, indicated that it might be possible to review part of this advice, which could improve the effectiveness of the regulations, particularly with regard to phosphorus use.

Subsequently, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and I made it clear that if scientifically robust information can be brought forward, the Government will make a case to the European Commission for revising the current limits.

As a result of these developments, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government announced that the implementation of part three of the regulations, dealing with nutrient planning, will be deferred for a number of weeks. Any amendments required to the regulations will be made following completion of the review and will require the agreement of the European Commission.