Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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810. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to ensure Ireland gets the best possible nitrates derogation deal for Irish farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61793/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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Securing Ireland’s nitrates derogation has been my number one priority since I was appointed Minister last January.

In the context of the good work that Ireland is doing on actions to improve water quality and Ireland’s request for continuance of our Nitrates Derogation, I felt it was important to invite the European Commissioner for the Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, Jessika Roswall, to visit Ireland.

During her visit last week, Commissioner Roswall met a father and daughter team on their farm in Kildare to see first hand the work of Irish dairy farmers to reduce agriculture's impact on water and the necessity for certainty regarding retention of our nitrates derogation.

As part of her visit, the Commissioner also met Irish MEPs, members of the joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food as well as the joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy, farm organisations, environmental NGOs and other interested parties.

It was an important visit at a crucial stage in our negotiations.

If the Commission is satisfied that they can justify granting Ireland a derogation, an Implementing Decision will be put forward for a vote of EU Member States at a meeting of the EU Nitrates Committee.

The Government continues to engage intensively with the European Commission on this matter, aiming to achieve a fair deal for our farmers which will also drive improvements in our water quality.

The nitrates derogation and the economic activity it facilitates is important for farmers, the rural economy and the entire agri-food sector. Retaining the derogation will be critical to maintaining the current unprecedented level of engagement and action across the agri-food sector to reduce its impact on water quality.