Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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137. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is satisfied there is enough in the 1 January 2026 sixth nitrates action programme for Ireland to address water pollution from agricultural sources, specifically nitrates, and ensure no further erosion of the maximum organic manure limits from 220 kg N/ha; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35554/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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I would like to begin by restating my, and indeed the Government's commitment to the twin objectives of improving water quality and retaining Ireland's Nitrates Derogation post-2025.

My colleague Minister Browne's Department is responsible for leading development of Ireland's Nitrates Action Programme (NAP). My Department is responsible for leading negotiations on, and implementation, of the Nitrates Derogation. Our two Departments work very closely together, on these issues.

Ireland's current NAP introduced significant changes and is providing the strongest protections to date nationally for water quality from an agricultural perspective. In February of this year additional measures were introduced to further strengthen the NAP as part of the interim review of the Programme.

The next NAP is due to apply from January 2026. Officials from both departments are engaging with stakeholders through the Agriculture Water Quality Working Group to develop a list of impactful measures from a water quality perspective for that Programme.

I am confident a combination of current and future measures under the NAP, combined with a continuation of the existing significant commitment and engagement by the entire agri-food sector will translate into improved water quality.

Indeed, we see signs of that already in the data published by the EPA yesterday confirming the significant reduction in nitrates levels in our rivers last year.

Having a robust NAP in place, is an essential component in our case to justify continuation of our Nitrates Derogation.

Along with my colleagues in Government, I will continue to engage over the coming months with the objective of giving the Commission the assurances it needs to justify granting a continuation of our Nitrates Derogation.

Ultimately the European Commission will decide the conditionality attached to that derogation, including that maximum permitted stocking rates. However, in accordance with the Programme for Government, the Government will continue doing everything in its power to make the case at EU level to secure the best outcome post-2025.