Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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1675. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 143 of 5 March 2025, if he will respond to further correspondence in response to the question (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18643/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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Significant progress has been achieved with many farmers embracing the change to Low Emission Slurry Spreading (LESS) technology, supported by grant aid under TAMS, and this is to be commended.

I fully understand the issues raised in relation to LESS on more “marginal” land and this is one of the reasons why LESS has not yet been rolled out to all farmers. Farmers with a grassland stocking rate below 100kg N/ha are not required to use LESS and can continue to use the 'splashplate' to apply cattle slurry.

The current requirements around the use of LESS were agreed with the European Commission as a key action in Ireland’s Nitrates Action Programme. They were signed into law in March 2022 as a measure to bring Ireland into compliance with its 2020-2030 ammonia reduction requirement of reducing emissions to 1% below 2005 levels.

Ireland received an infringement notice from the European Commission in 2022 for non-compliance with its ammonia limit in 2020. Agriculture is responsible for 98% of Ammonia emissions in the state. At a time when Ireland is seeking to extend its Nitrates Derogation it would be unwise for the State to renege on its current commitments to the European Commission in respect of the Nitrates action programme.

In relation to slurry amendments, there is ongoing research in this area. As stated in the email, independent research into emerging technologies may offer solutions, especially as we seek to achieve compliance with the more onerous 2030 ammonia emissions requirement of being at least 5% below 2005 levels. However in the absence of independent research on suitable alternatives, current commitments must be honoured if we are to protect our Nitrates Derogation and the agriculture sector is to avoid costly EU fines for breaching our ammonia emissions limit.