Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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179. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will extend the transitional agreements to allow pig and poultry farmers to spread their slurry and litter under the same terms as they are allowed to do up until the end of 2016 as the review of the nitrates regulations will not take place until 2017 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38353/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The European Union (Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters) Regulations 2014, as amended, give legal effect in Ireland to the Nitrates Directive and to our Nitrates Action Programme (NAP). 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. The current arrangement in Ireland’s Nitrates Action Programme, as negotiated with the European Commission, whereby the intensive sectors (pig, poultry and mushroom composts) are allowed to apply manures in excess of crop requirement is due to expire at the end of this year.

The arrangement was put in place in 2006 to assist the industry to comply with the regulations and has been moving the industry towards full compliance over the intervening 10 years. However, in order to allow time for all possible options to be explored during the forthcoming Nitrates Action Programme review, pig slurry imported in the closed period from 2017 and not applied by the year - end will be treated as inventory for application in the following year rather than being considered as applied in the year of importation.

My Department, in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, has commenced the process of review of the Nitrates Action Programme prior to formal engagement with the European Commission with a view to having a new Nitrates Action Programme in place by 2018 to run up to 2021. A request for a new nitrates derogation will be submitted to the Commission as part of the review process. A full consultation process will be carried out in early 2017 as part of this review and any issues raised by stakeholders will be considered as part of that process.