Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 553: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food his views on altering the regulations pertaining to the spreading of slurry on farmland; his further views on permitting farmers to spread slurry when the weather is dry, instead of during the set period as currently outlined in the regulations pertaining to same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22091/09]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The Nitrates Regulations (S.I. No. 101 of 2009) are a matter for the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in the first instance. The objective of the Regulations is to protect water quality and the various provisions are designed to control the management of fertilisers, including the timing, method of application and maximum amounts that may be applied, in order to prevent nutrient losses to ground and surface waters. The Regulations give legal effect to Ireland's Nitrates Action Programme.

The EU Nitrates Directive requires Member States' Nitrates Action Programmes to include rules regarding periods when the land application of certain types of fertilisers is prohibited. The purpose of these prohibited periods is to ensure that fertilisers are not applied at times of the year when there is little or no growth and crops are not able to use them, and when there is a high risk of those fertilisers finding their way into waters instead. Outside of these prohibited periods, fertilisers may be applied to land provided that weather and ground conditions are suitable and that buffer zones, as specified in the Regulations, are respected.

The Regulations were the subject of extensive consultation with stakeholders, including the farming bodies, and were finalised following negotiations with the EU Commission. At the conclusion of this process, the Nitrates Regulations (S.I. No. 378 of 2006) were made by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Revised Regulations (S.I. No. 101 of 2009) were made recently following a further consultation process conducted by my Department and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.