Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the level of flexibility he has in the application of the EU Nitrate Directive; the discussions that have taken place with relevant stakeholders; and the plans he has in place for the forthcoming year. [5415/13]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The Nitrates Directive makes it mandatory in all Member States to put in place a Nitrates Action Programme. The Directive and Ireland’s Nitrates Action Programme are given legal effect by the European Communities (Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters) Regulations 2010. The Action Programme contains measures which are mandatory under the Nitrates Directive. Such measures include a limit on the level of livestock manure which may be applied to land each year, the capacity levels of storage vessels necessary for livestock manure and periods when the land application of certain types of fertiliser is prohibited.

The objective of these measures is to protect ground and surface waters, including drinking water sources, primarily through the management of livestock manures and other fertilisers.

A review of the Nitrates Action Programme will be carried out this year. I will work closely with my colleague, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in conducting this review, which will be informed by expert views and developments in environmental and agricultural research. In addition, the review will be subject to full public consultation in which all interested stakeholders can participate. I intend initiating the public consultation in the second quarter of 2013.