The European Commission has chosen "the status quo" in its new evaluation of the Nitrates Directive, a farm organisation has claimed.

Copa Cogeca, which is made up of several farm organisations across the EU (including the Irish Farmers' Association), said the evaluation, which was published this week, "concludes that this more than 30-year old legislation remains effective in achieving its environmental objectives".

Copa added that the evaluation "attributes the remaining shortcomings primarily to poor implementation across member states".

However, according to the farm organisation, the review "fails to recognise the profound changes that have taken place in European agriculture since the directive was adopted in 1991".

Copa noted that, since 1991, the EU has taken on more member states, climate conditions have changed, scientific knowledge and farming practices have evolved, and new technologies offer opportunities to "achieve environmental objectives through more targeted and efficient approaches".

The farm organisation said that compliance with the Nitrates Directive has become increasingly complex and costly for farmers, and "often requires substantial investment and long-term planning".

Copa also said that the commission's evaluation fails to adequately assess the economic impact and consequences for farms, as it does not sufficiently reflect the evolution of agricultural structures, the diversity of production systems, and the cumulative impact of successive policy developments over the last three decades.

The farm organisation said it regrets that the evaluation "does not put forward any meaningful proposals to modernise or simplify the legislative framework".

"Beyond calling for improved implementation by member states, it offers little in terms of practical solution capable of addressing today's realities, including the ongoing fertiliser crisis, the growing impact of climate change and the need for greater flexibility in nutrient management," Copa said.

It added: "This evaluation should have marked the beginning of a genuine reflection on whether a legislative framework designed more than three decades ago remains fully adapted to the challenges of 21^st-century agriculture.

Copa claimed that there is a "striking lack of coherence" between the findings of this new evaluation and other recent EU policies, including the EU Vision for Agriculture and Food; last week's Livestock Strategy; and the Fertiliser Action Plan.

The farm organisation said it considers the evaluation "to be only a first step".

"It is essential that the implementation dialogue [with member states] and coming assessment processes of the Nitrates Directive deliver genuine simplification, enable innovation, and provide farmers with a modern, science-based and workable regulatory framework capable of achieving environmental objectives while safeguarding the competitiveness and resilience of European agriculture," Copa said.