Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 528: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the status of the Nitrates Directive; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28089/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal 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. The Minister, Deputy Roche, sent proposals to the European Commission in May for amendments to the Regulations he had made in December 2005 giving legal effect to Ireland's Nitrates Action Programme. The new proposals, which the Minister has outlined publicly, were developed in conjunction with my Department and with the input of Teagasc. They address a range of important issues identified by submission and raised by the farming bodies.

There have since been direct discussions and other contacts between officials of the two Departments, Teagasc representatives and the European Commission. I understand that those discussions are now close to being concluded successfully. I am satisfied that the outcome will be of major benefit to Irish farmers, in that the changes being discussed with the Commission will provide them with greater flexibility in complying with fertiliser limits and simplify certain aspects of the Regulations.

Once the discussions on the Regulations are concluded, my priority is to proceed with negotiations on a derogation to allow certain farmers to operate, under appropriate conditions and controls, up to a level of 250 kgs of organic nitrogen per hectare. The derogation proposal was given an initial presentation to the EU Nitrates Committee in December 2005 and there were bilateral discussions with the Commission in January, but no further progress was possible while the Regulations were under review. The proposal will have to be discussed further at future meetings of the Nitrates Committee before approval can be obtained.