Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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593. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to require existing farmers to provide an increase in the storage facilities for soiled water from the existing period of ten days capacity to 15 days that now applies to newly constructed soiled water tanks; and if not, the grounds on which he has justified this omission. [48224/14]

Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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594. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he has acted on the recommendations of the Second Review of Ireland's Nitrates Action Programmes that research be commenced at the earliest possible date in order to quantify the risks currently posed by bovine access to waters and, where appropriate, propose management strategies to mitigate impacts. [48225/14]

Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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595. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government in view of the that the Second Review of Ireland's Nitrates Action Programme determined that having considered all information available to it no scientific justification had been provided to support increased flexibility of slurry spreading during the prohibited period as he allowed in 2011, the steps he has taken to ensure that his officials will in the future confine their actions to those with appropriate scientific justification. [48226/14]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 593 to 595, inclusive, together.

The Nitrates Directive and Ireland's third National Nitrates Action Programme are given legal effect by the European Union (Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters) Regulations 2014, as amended. The objective of the Regulations is to protect ground and surface waters, including drinking water sources, primarily through the management of livestock manures and other fertilisers.

Ireland’s Nitrates Action Programme (NAP) was extensively reviewed in 2013 by an expert group, jointly chaired by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The expert group also reviewed the submissions received under the public consultation component of the review process. The expert group also considered the EPA's review of the NAP and the scientific findings of Teagasc's Agricultural Catchments Programme. The expert group made recommendations to the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government and suggested measures to be included in Ireland’s third Nitrates Action Programme.

As recommended by the expert review group, the Nitrates Regulations were amended to require that new storage facilities for soiled water being provided on a holding on or after 1 January 2015 shall equal or exceed the capacity required to store all soiled water likely to arise on the holding during a period of 15 days. The period since the making of the regulations in February 2014 allowed for the completion of storage facilities in the planning process or in the course of construction. There are currently no plans to extend this requirement to existing storage facilities.

In relation to the review group's recommendation regarding bovine access to waters, the EPA has approved funding under their STRIVE research programme for an extensive study assessing the impact of measures that prevent cattle access to watercourses. This research is due to commence in 2015 and will inform the next review of the NAP.

Specified closed periods for the spreading of fertilisers, including slurry, are a key aspect of the Nitrates Regulations. They are a requirement of the Nitrates Directive and mandatory in every Member State.  The purpose of closed periods is to protect ground and surface water bodies, including drinking water sources, by prohibiting the application of fertilisers when such application poses an unacceptable risk to waters.

The closed periods in Ireland were decided following an extensive consultation and were discussed with farming bodies and the European Commission at the time. The findings of Teagasc's Agricultural Catchments Programme support the efficacy of the closed season. As recommended by the expert review group, there have been no changes to the prohibition on the application of fertilisers during the closed winter months.

The Nitrates Action Programme will be reviewed again in 2017.