An Taisce urges commissioner to 'wean us off' nitrates derogation
An Taisce has urged European Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall to move Ireland away from its dependancy on the nitrates derogation.
Commissioner Roswall is visiting Ireland today (Friday, November 7) as government efforts to retain the derogation beyond this year continue.
Following a breakfast meeting with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon, the commissioner visited a farm in Co. Kildare to see first-hand the work being done on water quality.
She is also visiting the Teagasc office at Ashtown, Co. Dublin for further meetings with Oireachtas members, MEPs, along with agriculture and environment stakeholders, including An Taisce.
An Taisce
Following the meeting, An Taisce said it showcased to Commissioner Roswall "how Ireland clearly needs to urgently implement evidence-based solutions to nitrate pollution".
The National Trust for Ireland believes that "Ireland cannot afford yet another failed version of the derogation".
While farmers are "being asked to jump through a number of environmental hoops", An Taisce claimed that the measures "clearly don't work for all pollutants", such as nitrogen (N).
The organisation pointed to the "tragic example" of Lady’s Island Lake in Co. Wexford, which it said "should ring alarm bells".
"The results of successive failures to prevent nitrate pollution are key drivers in the ecological decline of this important Special Area of Conservation (SAC), and many other waterbodies along with it," An Taisce said.
Nitrates derogation
Commenting on the meeting, Dr. Elaine McGoff, head of advocacy with An Taisce said:
"Today, we called on the commissioner to put Ireland on an off-ramp, to wean us off our reliance on the nitrates derogation.
"We asked the commissioner to further reduce the upper limit of nitrogen which can be spread, and to ultimately move towards removing the derogation entirely, unless Ireland can prove that it will not impact on water quality.
"To date, Ireland has utterly failed to provide any evidence that the extra stocking density allowed for under the derogation is not driving water pollution, or to even assess that adequately."
Dr McGoff said An Taisce called on Commissioner Roswall "to champion the science and the law in her decision on Ireland’s next derogation".
"Irish waters are paying the price as a result of years of agricultural intensification, and Irish people care very deeply about clean and healthy waters.
"Those of us that care about water quality will be looking to the commissioner to chart a better way forward for Irish waters, and to help Irish farmers transition to a more sustainable and resilient future," she added.
