Written answers

Thursday, 24 September 2020

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Nitrates Action Programme

Photo of Brendan GriffinBrendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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299. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will delay the proposed nitrates changes (details supplied) until the formal review of the regulations next year and stakeholder consultation and the current economic crisis for farmers due to Covid-19 and Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26201/20]

Photo of Charlie McConalogueCharlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is the lead authority for the Nitrates Regulations (SI 605 2017). The purpose of these Regulations is to give effect to Ireland’s Nitrates Action Programme for the protection of waters against pollution caused by agricultural sources. The set of measures in these regulations provides a basic level of protection against possible adverse impacts to waters arising from the agricultural sources.

A review of Ireland’s nitrates derogation was undertaken in 2019. The review examined further opportunities for derogation farmers to improve efficiencies and continue to reduce their environmental footprint with particular regard to water, climate and air quality. It is accepted that compliance of a higher standard is required from more intensive derogation farmers to ensure a greater level of environment efficiency is achieved. One of the conclusions of the review highlighted interalia, that “In addition, the Commission has requested Ireland to review some of the technical aspects of the Nitrates Action Programme and ........the annual excretion rates for livestock as per Table 6 of SI 605 2017 be reviewed based on most recent scientific research”

Ireland's current Nitrates Action Programme concludes in 2021 and the process of reviewing the Nitrates regulations and derogation will commence soon and will be subject to consultation with all stakeholders.

The current excretion rates for livestock are specified in Table 6 of Schedule 2 (Annex 1) of Statutory Instrument 605 of 2017. The excretion rates for livestock were last evaluated in 2003. In 2019, Teagasc reviewed the excretion rate for the Dairy Cow following the recommendations of the Review group.

The outcome of the review was that the most accurate excretion figure for the average Irish dairy cow is 89kgs of nitrogen.

All farmers are required to comply with stocking rate limits, 170kgs N/ha or in the case of derogation farmers 250 kgs N/ha. Farmers can comply with limits by reducing stock numbers, exporting slurry or renting extra land.

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