Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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568. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine how many soil testing labs are approved by his Department, by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33672/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department maintains a list of laboratories that are approved to conduct soil analysis in relation to the Eco-Scheme. A copy of that current list is attached.

Other laboratories may also meet my Department's requirements regarding soil analysis. For example, the Nitrates Derogation Terms and Conditions 2023 set out the requirement for laboratories carrying out soil analysis to be ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited. The specification document for the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) also states this requirement, however, it goes further to state that accreditation to compatible standards by other States, such as by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) in the United Kingdom, is also acceptable.